Tag: Snyder’s Soapbox

cultural · Uncategorized

Civics lesson

Bob SnyderLeave a comment


“Our Constitution was made only for a moral and religious people.  It is wholly inadequate to the government of any other.”  John Adams.

Amendment I

Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.

Now let’s break this down.  The first part obviously instructs that Congress will not make laws that elevate one theistic religion over another to a point of primacy.  The time in which the Constitution was drafted was a time of very few options in what was called religion.  There was Roman Catholicism, Anglicanism, and Protestantism.  Outside of these, other systems weren’t recognized by the writers of the Constitution as religions.  Other systems were thought of as paganism.  Paganism was not given consideration as a religion.  Just imagine the founding Fathers considering satanism as a religion when they were writing the Constitution.  Never in their wildest imaginings did they think that we would be considering, satanism, hinduism, buddhism, or islam as true religions.  Since they weren’t in the realm of consideration as religions, they were not covered under the 1st  Amendment.

The second clause states that Congress cannot prohibit the free exercise of the first three religions that I mentioned. (Protestantism, Anglicanism, and Roman Catholicism)  Under the pale of Protestantism there are several denominations.  Some have become heretical, but that is a matter for the Church to work through with Church discipline.  It is not a matter for the Congress.  So only something under the three religions above was considered true religion by the framers of our Constitution.  They obviously didn’t consider the various religions of the Native Americans to be real religions.  They called them savages, or pagans, just like they called the Hindus pagans.  When you read their writings, you can see what they intended when they wrote the Constitution.

The next section guarantees our freedom to say whatever we would like to say, or print whatever we would like to print.  It would not be stretching the historical context to assume that these freedoms would apply to the radio, television, and the internet now, and the Supreme Court has agreed.  Again, considering the quote at the top of this article, they would not have imagined anyone wanting to spread pornography, profanity, or anything that would violate the morals of the specified religious systems.

What does it mean to, “peaceably assemble?”  It doesn’t mean blocking the freeway so a politician can’t get to a rally.  That impedes the free travel of other citizens without due process.  It doesn’t mean a neighborhood can riot because they don’t like the way law enforcement behaves.  It does mean that you can stand out front of federal building and picket.  It does mean you can camp out on public land in protest while the government prepares to address your grievances.  It doesn’t mean the government should come and kill you for exercising your right.

It is interesting that the, “occupy wall street” nuts didn’t get shot by federal agents while they impeded the rights of other citizens.  We live in a day and age where the Constitution is being read with a cultural hermeneutic instead of a historical one that considers the intents of the authors.  People attempt to read the Bible with that same cultural hermeneutic.  They ask, “How should I understand this section of scripture given today’s consensus about the topic?”  Instead of asking, “How should I understand this section of scripture considering God’s intentions for having it penned, who His intended audience was, how do we apply to us in this day and age keeping in mind His intent?”  So as long as the secular popularists are the arbiters of good and evil, right and wrong, we will have an ever changing and interpretation of all of our foundational presuppositions, and as we well know, if you don’t build your house on the rock of Christ, it will be washed away when the storms of life come crashing in.  All other ground is sinking sand.

 

Bibles · Uncategorized

Used Book Store Find of the Month, a Winston Pocket AV KJV New Testament with Psalms.

Bob SnyderLeave a comment

Every once in awhile I stop at our local used book store and look for goodies.  Today was surprised to find this little gem.
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I figured I’d write a little blurb about it, put some pictures up, and ask you, the reader for any information you might know about this interesting little New Testament.

The cover appears to be cowhide leather, with a perimeter groove, yapp style, with the words, “New Testament and Psalms” stamped in gold on the front.  On the spine it says, “New Testament” at the head and, “Winston” at the tail.

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It is about 3″ by 4 3/4″ and about 3/4″ thick.  The page edges are art gilt.  There is one purple ribbon marker.  The words of Christ are in red.  It is laid out in double column, verse format.  It has some colored pictures of art work in it.  There is a reading plan in the front, an article about the Lord’s Prayer in the back, and a list of Parables and Miracles.  It has plain white head and tail bands.  Here are a few of the pictures;
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Here it is compared to my Crossway ESV Verse by Verse Reference Bible,
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Please take a look at the rest of the pictures I took of it on my flickr page here.

I’m really interested in what you know about this particular edition, the publisher, the age of this edition, and any other things you might know about it.  There was no date marked on it or written in it by anyone.  From what I’ve read on the internet, it seems that it could have been made between 1890-1930, but that is speculation.  Thanks in advance and enjoy the pics.

Church · cultural · Uncategorized

The Church has Surrendered the Royal Law to the Secular Federal Government.

Bob SnyderLeave a comment

church_21

An argument against socialism, undeclared socialism, and communism from a Christian perspective.

The Church has been robbed of one of it’s greatest joys, and duties.  Mark 12:31, “ “The second is this, ‘YOU SHALL LOVE YOUR NEIGHBOR AS YOURSELF.’ There is no other commandment greater than these.” ”  Since we have surrendered this joyful grace and duty to secular government, we will not experience some of the fruit of the gospel the way our predecessors did.  

Think about the things that are done by the government, with tax dollars, allegedly on our behalf.  Here is a short list of some semi-socialised and socialised systems in America; public schools, universities, health care/hospitals, social security, disability, medicare/aid, housing subsidies, foster homes, nursing homes, and government jobs.  Before there was a large centralized federal government, the Church performed most of these functions.  If you were born in a hospital chances were that it was built, and paid for by the Church.  Education was a priority of the Church.  Schools and universities were started by Christians to train up men of God, for the service of our Lord.  Children were treated like spiritual beings, in need of the same gospel as their parents.  They were instructed in doctrine and theology.  They were catechised and experienced confirmation, before acceptance in the Church.  The most prominent building in the center of most towns was the Church, with its high steeple holding the cross aloft for all to look upon.  Orphans were taken care of by the Church.  Christians built, funded, and staffed orphanages, and sanitariums, to help those in need.  The hungry and needy came to the Church for help.  The Church taught people to put away money for themselves in their old age, and to leave an inheritance for their posterity.  The elderly were taken care of by their families.  People sought provisions from God, dispensed through His Church.  

The Church was blessed with the duty and ability to love their neighbor as themselves.  The joy they must have known, demonstrating God’s love and grace to His creatures in their state of need.  The fellowship they shared, the sense of community, the sympathy for the suffering, identifying with other humans in their sorrow, feeling and sharing together the human experience of the divine, ministering to the elderly and dying, all of this service flowing from hearts that have been regenerated by Holy Spirit, people in the newness of spiritual rebirth, obedient to God and their new affections, all testifying to the glorious work of His gospel on and in them.

All of this grace and love shown to those in need, brought their gaze tenderly upon Christ and His cross.  The faithfulness of the Church, worked out in their lives, gave them a glimpse of the gospel they had heard, but never known.  Being blessed in such a way, as to have been helped and provided for when in deep distress, grows a fondness towards God and His body.  People were brought into the communion of believers, as the Holy Spirit convicted them, in light of the goodness of God, demonstrated through His people.

Our current state is so much the worse.  We’ve attempted to alleviate the, “burden” of the Church with social programs funded by taxation.  We’ve removed God as our King.  We’ve taken Him from His throne and cast an idol to be placed upon it.  Human government on the throne, accepting our praises, worship, and our supplications.  We abide atrocities, in hopes of a morsel of provision, to be doled out for the loyal subjects, while waiting expectantly for our false gods to take care of our children, widows, orphans, sick, needy, and old.   Everyone one of us, isolated and in our own compartments, safely tucked away from the suffering of our fellow man. “It is not my problem, isn’t there a government program for that?” We cry out when we gaze up from our electronic distractions to see the plight of a poor unfortunate soul in need.  

Our reliance has shifted from the providence of God in His mercies, to the politburo.  The few political elite imagine new laws to solidify their reign, and foist them upon us, as new commandments to be followed without question.  What was once the domain of the Church is now being dictated by our new secular gods.  What is marriage? Who is my brother? What is tolerance? What is a right? Are all questions our world asks the government to answer.  We wait for them to rule from on high and give us answers.  People wait in lines the first of the month for their food, after receiving their unemployment, social security/disability, welfare, food subsidies, and so on, with nobody in particular to thank, just the nebulous government, who doles out just enough to get by and keep them enslaved.  We need to repent, and enter into the realm of politics and public service as we are called vocationally.  We need to be the salt and light in all arenas of public affairs.  We need not be afraid, but rather boldly proclaim the joy of knowing the Lord.  “For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain.” Philippians 1:21 NASB

God · Theology · Uncategorized

Power in the Blood, or the Shedding of it?

Bob SnyderLeave a comment

lamb

Some people think that the blood of Jesus contained within it the saving power of God.  They believe that it cleanses us from sin.  If this is true, how much do you use to cleanse you of a lie?  How much do you use to cleanse you of murder?  How do you apply it?  Do you pour it over your head?  Do you drink it?  Do you inject it?  What do we do in this day and age when we cannot find the physical blood of Christ?  Is it a mystical thing?  These questions should help us to see that it was the shedding of His blood that was the work of atonement expiating sin.  The blood was special because it belonged to the God-man Christ Jesus, but it isn’t some property of the blood that we must consume to cleanse us of our sin.  It is the effect of Christ’s work through the shedding of His blood that is of import.  If we deny the efficacy of His work and the adequacy of His representation, we deny the gospel.  Claiming that the blood, apart from Him is salvific because of its properties as God’s blood, imparts a carnal attribute of mortality to the immutably immortal nature of God.  Only by the hypostasis of the two natures do we have a salvific euaggelion (εὐαγγέλιον) or gospel.  To deny the hypostatic union, is to affirm the heresy of Nestorianism.

Book Reviews · Uncategorized

Soap Box Review of, “Audacious” from Beth Moore.

Bob Snyder2 Comments


As most of you know, I am a bit biased due to Moore’s sloppy ecumenism and claims of extra-biblical personal revelation. (some of that she has attempted to correct.)  That being said, I am not on a witch hunt, and I am not a heresy hunter.  I don’t run a discernment ministry site.  I simply review Christian books and Bibles, so people can make informed decisions before laying down their hard won sheckles.  

I could easily dismiss her book as a simple edit of her, “vision statement.”  She basically has just added two words to her old vision statement, and contrived a book around it.  Instead, I decided not to discount her offering based on my bias.  I should also let you know that I am not the target audience for a book like this.  I prefer more specific language and less color when reading a theological book. Before you get upset at me stating that her book is theological, perhaps you should consider that any study or writing about God is considered theological.  

There are feelers and there are thinkers, and I’m not saying that these two groups are mutually exclusive.  There is a spectrum, and we all think and feel.  Some of us are predominantly motivated by reason and thought, where others are moved more by emotions and feelings.  I am in the first category.  That, along with being a fortyfour year old male, and a Reformed Baptist, is why I am not the target audience.  If you are a woman who likes to get into someone’s personal life, thoughts, emotions, history, and you want to have a little information about God sprinkled in, then you are the target audience.  Feelers, aren’t so persnickety about precise language.  They understand the intent of the author who paints with their colors.  People who are on the other end of the spectrum, are concerned that the wrong ideas will be conveyed if the language is not precise.  We don’t want to be responsible for someone falling into heresy.  Our motto is, “If you can’t improve on the silence, then don’t say anything.”  In regards to theology it looks more like, “The Bible says it better, just read and quote the Bible.  If you must write a book, be sure that you are faithfully, accurately, and truthfully, expositing the word of God in a beneficial manner that edifies, and educates, the reader.”  If you aren’t doing that, stop writing.  

Beth Moore’s book takes 178 pages to express the Shema, or the Greatest Commandment of God’s word, and what could be said in one short blog article.  I would be glad to read 200 pages or more dealing with this topic if each sentence were valuable.  Moore’s book had very little of value to me.  She writes 178 pages by pumping up the word count, adding all of her quiche Mooreisms, out of context, sometimes misapplied scriptures, personal stories, and wordsmithing.  She does all of this without adding that much quality content.  It is a piece of fluff.  Some people may be encouraged by it if they care about all of Moore’s stories. On the other hand, if you want to learn about God, instead of Moore’s books, there are plenty of other worthwhile books to invest your time in.  It was a painful for me to push through and read.  I would have liked to have had a strainer to filter out the sound little tidbits, and discard the copious amounts of page filler.  This is my personal experience with her work.  If you enjoy her style then you will like this book as it seems to be more of the same.

  • ISBN-13: 978-1433690525
forgiveness · God · Repentance · sanctification · saved · Theology · Uncategorized

Is 1 Peter 1:16 Instructive or Informative? “You shall be holy, for I am holy.”

Bob Snyder1 Comment


I have been thinking about sanctification as of late and its implications in regards to assurance and security.  This verse came to  mind and I wanted to see if it was an instruction to strive for personal holiness or if it was informing us that we are holy in Christ.  I always thought it was the first, because of many years in the Nazarene denomination.  It turns out the answer is, “Yes.”

(NASB) 1 Peter 1:1,2 1  Peter, an apostle of Jesus Christ,
To those who reside as aliens, scattered throughout Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia, and Bithynia, who are chosen 2 according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, by the sanctifying work of the Spirit, to obey Jesus Christ and be sprinkled with His blood: May grace and peace be yours in the fullest measure.

Let’s examine verse 2 a bit more closely.  (NASB) 2 according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, by the sanctifying work of the Spirit, to obey Jesus Christ and be sprinkled with His blood: May grace and peace be yours in the fullest measure.

What is according to the foreknowledge of God the Father?  God’s election of the saved people living scattered among the cities listed in verse 1.  What work are we doing to be sanctified according to verse 2?  I’ll wait here while you look…  Back?  It was a trick question.  We aren’t doing the work.  The Holy Spirit sanctifies us.  The Greek word is, “ἁγιασμός”  (hagiasmos) g0038; from 37; properly, purification, i.e. (the state) purity; concretely (by Hebraism) a purifier: — holiness, sanctification.

To what end are we elected by the Father, and sanctified by the Holy Spirit according to this verse?  “…to obey Jesus Christ and be sprinkled with His blood…”  Spending most of my life in the Nazarene Church, I understood that sanctification was something I did.  I might be wrong here.  This might not be their official doctrine.  I’m just saying that this is what I thought.  The emphasis on the monergistic origination of sanctification never came across.  Still to this day, people insist that sanctification is synergistic.  I would only agree with that in a broad practical sense, because at the end of the day God isn’t sanctifying a dog or a cat.  He is sanctifying us, and part of that is our condition during the process.  So we are involved in sanctification, because it is happening to us.  We are actively participating in it, but it is not from us.  We were incapable of sanctification let alone desiring it, before the work of the Holy Spirit.

I know many of you are out there right now screaming, “What about all the verses that instruct you to behave!?!”  Well of course we should do what God wills, and refrain from what He has forbid.  That is a no brainer.  I am not saying we shouldn’t, but the fact that someone wants to and has the ability to, is proof that sanctification is supernaturally originated by God and not from within us.

So you’ve been regenerated by the Holy Spirit, in accord with the Father’s sovereign will in election, granted saving faith and repentance from God, and you have repented of your sins, and placed that faith in the atoning work of Christ on the cross, so that your sins were expiated, and His righteousness was imputed to you.  Now we would say that you have been saved, or justified.

Follow along here on the ordo salutis (order of salvation)  train. (concise version)  🙂  election, regeneration, justification, sanctification, glorification.  So as you can see all of those things find their origination in God and they are worked on/in us by Him.  If we think we are responsible for any of them, we are robbing God of His glory, being self-righteous, legalistic, and relying on our works in our man centered thinking.

This can lead to serious doubt.  It can wreck our assurance and cause us to question our security, because when we sin, we ask, “Why do I keep doing this?  Am I really saved?  If I’m saved how can I fall to this sin over and over? I must be a false convert.  I must be fooling myself.  I’ve taken the 2 Cor 13:5 test and failed!”  “…(NASB) 5  Test yourselves to see if you are in the faith; examine yourselves! Or do you not recognize this about yourselves, that Jesus Christ is in you—unless indeed you  fail the test?..”  Notice that last part, “Or do you not recognize this about yourselves, that Jesus Christ is in you—unless indeed you  fail the test?”  Have you noticed that Jesus Christ is in you!? It is as if Paul is yelling, “Come on people! Don’t you see what has been done to you, for you, and for the glory of God?  Can’t you see the difference?  unless you truly can’t.”  When a Christian is doubting, and takes a look at his condition, it will be obvious that God has been at work renovating the sin wrecked ramshackle of a mess that they were.  Unless of course you can’t see His work anywhere in your life.

So we can rest in secure in the knowledge that if God has saved us, we are secure in Him.  When we fall because of our lack of strength, He keeps us with His infinite strength.  What He has done to us, nobody and nothing, can undo.

Romans 8:26-39 (NASB) 26 In the same way the Spirit also helps our weakness; for we do not know how to pray as we should, but the Spirit Himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words; 27 and He who searches the hearts knows what the mind of the Spirit is, because He intercedes for the saints according to the will of God.
28 And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose. 29 For those whom He foreknew, He also predestined to become conformed to the image of His Son, so that He would be the firstborn among many brethren; 30 and these whom He predestined, He also called; and these whom He called, He also justified; and these whom He justified, He also glorified.
31  What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who is against us? 32 He who did not spare His own Son, but delivered Him over for us all, how will He not also with Him freely give us all things? 33 Who will bring a charge against God’s elect? God is the one who justifies; 34 who is the one who condemns? Christ Jesus is He who died, yes, rather who was  raised, who is at the right hand of God, who also intercedes for us. 35 Who will separate us from the love of Christ? Will tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? 36 Just as it is written,
“For Your sake we are being put to death all day long;
WE were considered as sheep to be slaughtered.”
37 But in all these things we overwhelmingly conquer through Him who loved us. 38 For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, 39 nor height, nor depth, nor any other created thing, will be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Now that we understand what God has done to us in election, regeneration, and justification, we can see that He will sanctify us as well.  Philippians 1:6 (NASB) “6 For I am confident of this very thing, that He who began a good work in you will perfect it until the day of Christ Jesus.”  Think about a newborn baby in a crib, looking up at his parents.  He doesn’t have to focus his attention on growing.  He doesn’t have to even try to grow.  Sure he grows, and is involved in the process, but his growth doesn’t come from him.  It is God’s plan, and design, that the child grows according to.  Imagine that baby saying to himself, “I need more milk to make me big and strong.  Grow legs! Grow grow grow!!!”  It is ridiculous, but that is the way many of us are as Christians.

We are focused too much on our own efforts and failures.  When we do see growth we might even attribute it to our efforts.  This robs God of His glory, and God will not be robbed.  So in our self-righteousness, we sin against God and don’t even realize it.  Then when we fail, we punish ourselves, as if that whipping we gave to ourselves could add to the perfect, gory, violent, painful, terrifying, work of our wonderful Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ…  …  Think about that.  Let it soak in…  How dare we?  How dare we!  You should be crying right now.  I know it makes me want to cry, to think of how I would defile the work of Jesus with my self-righteousness.

Just like that baby, we will grow according to God’s plan, in His time, exactly by the trials He has for us, and in precisely the areas He has determined.  Rest assured, if you are saved, you will be sanctified, because God wills it, and what He wills, He accomplishes, unless of course you think you can stop him…

1 Peter 1:12-21 (NASB) 12 It was revealed to them that they were not serving themselves, but you, in these things which now have been announced to you through those who preached the gospel to you by the Holy Spirit sent from heaven—things into which angels long to look.
13 Therefore,  prepare your minds for action,  keep sober in spirit, fix your hope completely on the grace to be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ. 14 As  obedient children, do not  be conformed to the former lusts which were yours in your ignorance, 15 but  like the Holy One who called you,  be holy yourselves also in all your behavior; 16 because it is written, “You shall be holy, for I am holy.”
17 If you address as Father the One who impartially judges according to each one’s work, conduct yourselves in fear during the time of your stay on earth; 18 knowing that you were not  redeemed with perishable things like silver or gold from your futile way of life inherited from your forefathers, 19 but with precious blood, as of a lamb unblemished and spotless, the blood of Christ. 20 For He was foreknown before the foundation of the world, but has appeared in these last times for the sake of you 21 who through Him are believers in God, who raised Him from the dead and gave Him glory, so that your faith and hope are in God.

1 Thessalonians 4:3-8 (NASB) 3 For this is the will of God, your sanctification; that is, that you abstain from sexual immorality; 4 that each of you know how to possess his own  vessel in sanctification and honor, 5 not in  lustful passion, like the Gentiles who do not know God; 6 and that no man transgress and defraud his brother in the matter because the Lord is the avenger in all these things, just as we also told you before and solemnly warned you. 7 For God has not called us for the purpose of impurity, but in sanctification. 8 So, he who rejects this is not rejecting man but the God who gives His Holy Spirit to you.

So we will be holy, because God is holy.  He is actively sanctifying us and we are living out that sanctifying work, in Christ, by the power of the Spirit, in the will of the Father.  The answer to the question, “Is 1 Peter 1:16 Instructive or Informative?” is, yes.  Go with God and peace be with you.

 

cultural · forgiveness · God · hate · love · marriage · Theology · Uncategorized

Are Your Feelings Determining How You View God, Or Is God Determining How You Feel?

Bob SnyderLeave a comment


Are Your Feelings Determining How You View God, Or Is God Determining How You Feel?Are you acting like a child?  Are you following people who act like unreasoning beasts, and encourage others to do the same?  A child allows his emotions to rule him.  He is without discipline and only knows want.  A false teacher promotes what is against God.  He acts like an unreasoning beast, “But these, like unreasoning animals, born as creatures of instinct to be captured and killed, reviling where they have no knowledge, will in the destruction of those creatures also be destroyed,” (2 Peter 2:12 NASB)

Do you let your feelings determine how you view God, and treat others?  Love is a big deal.  People go on and on about feeling like they are in love, wanting to feel love.  People also feel other emotions like, hate, impatience, greed, jealousy, envy, apathy, and pride.  People desperately want others to validate their feelings, by agreeing with them.  When we allow feelings to determine how we treat others, and how we view God, we are behaving like children.  All they know is what they want.  Their wants are not informed by anything else, just their will alone.  As they get older, hopefully their parents discipline them, and train them.  If you are an adult, and your feelings rule you, then spiritually speaking, you are a sinful little child.  If you believe all of the self-help gurus out there, teaching you how to get in touch with your feelings, and how to be happy.  God tells us how we should feel about others, about situations, and He also tells us how we should feel about Him.  When we obey our feelings that are against what God commands in His word we are definitely in sin.  

Viewing God through any other lense than His word is creating an idol in your mind.  When you just go by your fallen, sinful, emotions, to build a picture of God, it will most certainly be a false god, not the one true God of the Bible.  If you find yourself disagreeing with long-held orthodox doctrines, in favor of your own personal interpretation, chances are you are worshipping a god of your own making.  Repent, and worship the God of the Bible.  Let your mind be informed by the word of God, so that the God you worship is the true one.

As Christians, we are not to behave, think, or feel like the world.  We are to obey God in all things.  So when God tells us to love our enemies, that is what we must do.  Love needs to be thought of as an action as well as a feeling.  All of the emotions must be thought of as actions as well as a feelings, because they move us to action.  Unless God changes your heart and mind, in regeneration by the power of the Holy Spirit, you will not be able to think or feel rightly.  When you are truly born again, and you resist feeling the way your know you should or you indulge a feeling you know you shouldn’t, you are sinning.  Sinning this way is accepted by the world and encouraged.  We are not to be like the world.  

There are benefits to obeying God.  Yes, God gave us emotions, but they are under the effect of sin.  They are affected by the fall.  Knowing this, hopefully you can see how they need to be conformed to God’s will as expressed in His word?  Don’t reject the will of God, for your own childish feelings.  Bring your feelings into obedience to God.  You can do it with His help.  It will be a blessing to you and to all of the people you come in contact with.  God’s will is always better.  So next time you are feeling your way through life ask yourself if those feelings are sinful or are they in obedience to God?

Movie Review · Repentance · sharing the gospel · Theology · Uncategorized

I Really Wanted to Like This Movie, but… A Review of “Risen.”

Bob Snyder5 Comments

Let me just start by saying that I won’t post any spoilers.  If you want to know specifics you can message me.  That being said, I truly wanted to like this movie.  I especially wanted to like it when I heard what the premise was, and also saw that Joseph Fiennes was in it.  He did such a wonderful job as Martin Luther.  He, and a couple other actors outclassed the actors that played the Apostles, and it felt like hippies from the (I removed a word here.  See the comments below to read why.)  movement wrote the lines for the Apostles.  This movie had so many opportunities to do it right, but it never coalesced.  We never heard why Jesus had to die, we never heard that He was truly God, we never heard any confession of sin on anyone’s part.  All we did hear were incoherent ramblings about love unrelated or linked to the gospel.  I was so disappointed with this film.  I was hoping for a “Jesus of Nazareth” or a Charleton Heston in “The Ten Commandments” level production.  This was devoid of any useful theological information, or gospel proclamation.  I was also let down by the incongruous use of artistic license.  Sometimes it was seamless, and others it was glaringly awkward.

It wasn’t all bad.  It far exceeded the recent tripe that has come out of Hollyweird.  With the bad taste left in our mouths from “Noah” and “Exodus gods and Kings” with batman as Moses, I found their effort with “Risen” to be a bit refreshing.  The acting of the main characters was top notch, the supporting cast… meh.  There was no profanity, or romantic scenes.  There was however, graphic violence.  If you want to have Christian themed entertainment that never gets around to being truly helpful and wastes your time, then go see, “Risen.”  Otherwise, stay home and do a Bible study.  You’ll get much more out of that.  Then, go out and evangelize the lost.  They need it and this movie isn’t going to get it done.

Book Reviews · cultural · God · marriage · Theology · transgender · transsexual · Uncategorized

Dr. R. Albert Mohler’s new book, “We Cannot Be Silent.” is a must read for Christians trying to make sense of all the gender chaos going on around us.

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cannotbesilent
If you have been a regular listener of, “The Briefing” you’ll find Dr. Mohler’s newest book to be quite familiar, as he has addressed much of the subject matter on his program.  The book offers a fuller fleshing out of the history, and circumstances, that have lead to our current state, as well as a Christian analysis of it.

The chapter titles in the table of contents paint the picture of what you’ll read in the book;

1 In the Wake of a Revolution

2 It Didn’t Start with Same-Sex Marriage

3 From Vice to Virtue: How Did the Homosexual Movement Happen?

4 The Impossible, Possibility of Same-Sex Marriage

5 The Transgender Revolution

6 The End of Marriage

7 What Does the Bible Really Have to Say About Sex?

8 Religious Liberty and the Right to Be Christian

9 The Compassion of Truth: The Church and the Challenge of the Sexual Revolution

10 The Hard Questions

 

Dr. Mohler takes you step by step, setting the scene with historical information, about how the foundation for this revolution was put in place, so that in the right environment of postmodernism it could explode.  follow along step by step, to see how the plan of the enemy has been unfolding for decades.  Dr. Mohler cites the work of opponents, and proponents to Christian values effectively, and fairly in this book.  He uses their own words in thorough quotations from their published works.  You can trace a line from no-fault divorce, birth control, abortion, and now all of the gender issues.  As we deal with the consequences of these doctrines of death culture, Dr. Mohler educate and offers a Biblical analysis. He explains what these changes in our culture will mean for us as a nation, and for Christians.  

Dr. Mohler also explains what the Church’s response should be in light of our past failures to inform culture.  Bad theology, watered down truths, attractional models, moralism, and pragmatism have all gotten us where we are at today.  Real love, tells the truth.  We have to proclaim the truths of the Bible to the lost.  The things that seem difficult are often what are necessary.  The gospel is the only hope for the people of this nation.  Chapter 10 offers valuable Biblical responses to questions that are already being asked.  If you haven’t given these issues much thought and would like to, or if you are a bit confused and don’t know how we got to where we are today, I would recommend reading this book and referring back to it from time to time.

forgiveness · love · marriage · Uncategorized

Is there a heart so broken, soul so wounded, two hearts in a marriage so hurt, or scars so thick that God, the Creator of all things, cannot heal them?

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Yesterday I posted a piece about toxic relationships being a new age cop out.  It came to my attention that perhaps I didn’t stress the power of God enough.  People can feel extremely hurt and justified in maintaining their anger and resentment.  They can harden their hearts and sear their conscience, so that they no longer feel conviction when the Holy Spirit brings to mind all of their complicity.  We know from God’s word that all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God.  We also know that none are righteous.  

For the person who is deeply hurt, this information doesn’t seem to help them, but it is the only information that will help them.  They have to see their own sin and see how much in need they are of God’s grace, mercy, and love.  When they can see their need, and it moves them to repent and believe in the work of Christ, then they can see the other person, and how weak and needy they are.  When you can look at someone who has wronged you, hurt you, scarred you, and then see how you have done the same thing to Christ, and yet know that He has forgiven you, given you grace, mercy, and love, in light of what you know you justly deserve, you can then love the other person in like fashion.

God, who created everything, things known and unknown by us, the seed from which a redwood grows, the highest majestic mountains, to the lowest, deep cut valleys, to the blue sky where winged birds fly, and beyond to the vast reaches of space where we lose ourselves in contemplation of our smallness, this very God who knows everything about us, He is all powerful, and to think that He cannot change your heart?  What hope is there if a sinner’s heart cannot be changed?  Therefore, there is no wound so great that the saving balm of the gospel cannot use it for the glory of God.