Linkathon!
Why you shouldn’t support Potters Field Ministries…
Prophecy claims revival on the way because KC won the Super Bowl…
Complaining connects us to the courage of God…
When your faith in church fails…
Seven real life struggles Jesus can identify with…
Is it possible to be happy in Christ despite suffering?
Where does your identity come from?
Impeachment and the Renaissance…
Are all Christians “true” Christians?
Christianity’s influence on world history real, but overstated…
Hip-hop and the conversion narrative…
Evangelicals embrace Trump’s peace plan, saying it recognizes the bible as “legal”…
The Super Bowl halftime show and #MeToo…
What you need to know about God’s plan for your life…
Locking preachers in the pulpit…
Halftime show called soft core porn…
More later…
āWhere does your identity come fromā
I think those of us who read Christian blogs and get caught up in trying to have the ārightā theology can forget that we are loved by God. I know I do! I get so anxious about being an āoutsiderā or āhereticā that I forget that I am loved by our Creator regardless.
Thanks for the links.
Thank you, JoelG!
I’ve seen so many articles and comments on social media condemning the super bowl half-time show as over sexuaiized or a strip show or soft core porn. What I find rather ironic is that I sense that many of these negative reviews are coming from conservative Trump supporters, who voted to put a serial adulterer into the highest position in the land. Remember, he is the self-proclaimed grabber of female private parts. He built and/or owned strip clubs and was on the cover of Playboy.
I watched the half-time show. There was less skin shown and less sexual innuendo than what is allowable and in fact common in TV and movies with a PG-13 rating. I don’t really understand the outrage.
I wasn’t outraged…but it was a bit much.
If I would have had young boys in the house i would have turned it off.
I respect that Michael. Just for comparison purposes, what would you say about Dancing with the Stars? I won’t even ask about the Bachelor or Bachelorette. LOL!
Jean,
I donāt know.
I donāt watch tv outside of sports and occasionally news.
I donāt have the time or interest.
Iām weird.
You aren’t weird, Michael. (at least not in that way)
Thanks, Jim…I think…?
Yeah, if conservative Christian Trump supporters want to continue the cultural outrage thing…well, you’ve lost all cred with me. And I’ll bet many others!
They are talented ladies, especially Shakira, and sexuality is part of Latino culture, more accepted as tut norm (Madonna and others like Janet Jackson notwithstanding). This wasn’t a Christian event. As such, tune out. Judge within the church, not the world as it is which isn’t going to change.
No, I didn’t watch it or the game.
Op-ed: https://www.newsweek.com/iowa-republican-evangelical-wont-vote-trump-again-1485462 An evangelical pens an op ed about not supporting the incumbent for reelection, and why.
OTF,
Great article. It’s good to see her thought process.
It’s not the right, the left or Christians with this Superbowl show issue. If you check the internet there’s plenty from all sides which recognize the hypocrisy of the show.
Considering the knee protests, and the general lack of overtly suggestive advertising on this year’s National football show it would seem the half-time was a bit out of place. The question which should be asked is whom are they marketing too?
The data is not difficult to assess. Superbowl performers are not paid a performance fee. They make money through positive exposure to the Superbowl audience, evidenced by increased music downloads. In the article linked below, the data shows that this year’s performance was a great success and the two star performers were received with very positively by the Superbowl audience.
https://www.marketwatch.com/story/jennifer-lopez-and-shakiras-music-sales-spike-after-their-viral-super-bowl-halftime-show-2020-02-03
Speaking of impeachment: Mitt Romney has 20,000 lb. b*lls.
Too bad he can’t also give his fellow Republican senators a spine. Watch them slither away.
B*lls, but no brains… It is amazing how many didn’t hear Dershowitz… No wonder we have so many shallow church goers… Thinking, analyzing takes energy – no matter what you conclude… Emotion just spews out natcherly..
Sorry, will try to not opinionate on polytics here again… Pray for me .?
Anon, There was a full pause ā 11 seconds?āright after he spoke of taking an oath before God. That was SOMEthing.
Dershowitz was rebuked by many of his peers as making a specious argument.
Having said that, there is no profit in discussing these matters anymore.
Everyone has made up their minds and have taken sides that they will defend to the bloody end regardless of facts or consequences.
Christians have embraced selective morality now and the faith once delivered is barely recognizable on either side of the divide.
My options are to pick a side, stay in the middle, or divorce myself from the fray completely as regards the blog.
Or, simply retire as I have enough stress in my life.
The things that need to be said won’t be heard until the whole thing collapses…and it’s going to collapse.
I thought the half time show was a little much, but I think separating families, putting kids in cages, and sending refugees to die is really pornographic.
138 El Salvadoran refugees have been murdered since 2014 and at least 70 tortured, raped, or extorted.
Scantily clad women dancing are the least of my worries…
As far as the op ed about the Christian not voting for Trump…the reality is that Trump will win 2020 and instead of making statements we need to figure out how the small minority of us who won’t support either party can address the consequences on the least of these that are coming…
Michael
I still have hope… not in political parties, but in individuals.
“It is from numberless diverse acts of courage and belief that human history is shaped. Each time a man stands up for an ideal, or acts to improve the lot of others, or strikes out against injustice, he sends forth a tiny ripple of hope, and crossing each other from a million different centers of energy and daring those ripples build a current which can sweep down the mightiest walls of oppression and resistance.”
RFK
Duane,
I listened to that quoted last night by his daughter.
It didn’t inspire hope, only despair that not only do we have no leaders with such a vision, the last of the masses that do are dying out.
I truly believe that something cataclysmic will have to happen for us to find our bearings again in both the church and the culture.
Michael and Dr. Duane, i think most likey God would say, ” don’t worry – I’ve got this. ” (not speaking sanctimoniously, i hope)…
God keeo
Em,
I think He may have it the same way He had it for Israel…I find similarities between the prophetic condemnations of Israel to what is happening today…except todays prophets sold out for thirty shekels of silver…
I was thinking the same thing, Michael… My morning reading was Hosea 5 … Just because His plan is unfolding, doesn’t mean that everything is roses…
Only 30 pieces?
Awfully close to the truth (sadly)
https://politics.theonion.com/trump-spends-national-prayer-breakfast-attacking-god-fo-1841496144?utm_source=TheOnion_Daily_RSS&utm_medium=email
“Having said that, there is no profit in discussing these matters anymore.
Everyone has made up their minds and have taken sides that they will defend to the bloody end regardless of facts or consequences.”
This is the truth.
Michael, if the DNC does something foolhardy like nominating Bernie, they will guarantee another Trump win in November.
Biden or Bloomberg are the only two who can realistically connect with mom and pop America.
I hope they’ve learned by now that you can’t win an election with just Hollywood, college kids, their profs., and the latte set at Starbucks.
Muff,
I don’t think any of the people currently running can beat Trump.
They are all radicals or dullards.
An even bigger problem is the platform…I simply can’t vote for late term abortions or the LGBTQ agenda any more than I can vote for kids in cages.
The Dems all or nothing stance on these issues means I can’t support them.
There are days when I think I’d vote for Satan if he wore a nice tie before I’d vote for Trump…but I can’t ethically vote for either party.
I will embrace my place in exile and try to speak biblical ethics to both camps…which simply means that twice as many people will ignore me.
Michael, you have expressed my sentiments exactly. I did not vote for Trump last time, and I’ll be damned if I will this time. The dems have little to offer that doesn’t taste like syrup of ipecac, so it looks like I’ll toss my vote to the libertarian candidate again…or the green party if it still exists.
fil,
Thanks.
If I find someone who can pretend to be sane, I may vote… š
“I will embrace my place in exile ”
same here…..
#nooneforpresident
Michael, pstrmike, and filbertz…
I’m in agreement. I did not vote in 2016 (didn’t go the “vote for the lesser of two evils/hold my nose and vote” crap, but also neglected to register wife and I to vote), and at this point not planning on voting in 2020 either. Just can’t violate my conscience and participate in this crappy field of candidates.
Michael, you’re right to bring up ethical standards, and I agree with all of them.
My previous comment was based solely on pragmatism.
Muff, pragmatically, I agree with you.
Separating out from it and recognizing our place in exile feels off and even irresponsible…but I don’t know of any other way to follow Christ.
The book of Revelation, written to seven churches living in the midst of an oppressive, idolatrous and unjust society continues the theme of living in exile. In the book, the message is:
“Then I heard another voice from heaven saying, ‘Come out of her, my people, lest you take part in her sins, lest you share in her plagues;’ ”
The exhortation is not to physically leave their cities, but to the churches to come out or disassociate from the sinful conduct of the culture.
Jean,
Agreed.
I think a lot of folks have blotted that out of their Bibles…or simply assigned it to end time prophecy.
Not so, Michael… the words directly to those churches are considered applicable to all churches down through time by everyone i know…. however, many of us do believe much of the book is written to give the Church some understanding of how things will culminate as Christ’s return becomrs a reality
The book of Revelation is difficult and continues to be debated as to its purpose and message.
I find this statement to be true:
“The exhortation is not to physically leave their cities, but to the churches to come out or disassociate from the sinful conduct of the culture.”
However, the application is what I find to be extremely difficult and I believe historicity confirms such.
Can one disassociate and possibly isolate themselves from the world which, by God’s design, also provides food, clothing, shelter, government, and every resource needed to exist in God’s creation?
An example of those who are still trying to do so are the Amish. Yet the Amish are not, nor ever have been, in my understanding, entirely self-sufficient. Additionally no one I know considers them a “light unto the world” of God’s love and desires for His people.
“Very difficult it is.” Yoda
MM,
I think the admonition is to be in the world, but not of the world.
My thoughts these days center around what it would be like to be part of an authentically Christian community that speaks truth to power without seeking it and offers the Gospel to the world without embracing worldly ways.
We’re called out to be a recognizable, “peculiar” people…are we?
“Weāre called out to be a recognizable, āpeculiarā peopleā¦are we?”
Yes, we are, and this is the kind of recognizable peculiarity which evangelical Christianity all too often gives off:
https://www.newsweek.com/christian-activist-sue-nfl-over-super-bowl-halftime-show-says-pornography-was-pumped-homes-1486275
No, of course, if it’s the President that says or does something immoral, then there’s a different story.
Jean,
Let me play devils advocate here.
I have watched Dave Daubenmire on Twitter and he’s a revolting misogynist and racist…as well as being an idiot.
He’s a joke and he doesn’t represent anyone I know or know of.
Using him as a representative of the faith as Newsweek did is dishonest and disingenuous as hell.
The issue isn’t really, “Who is a genuine representative of the faith?”, but how the faith is perceived by the nones, dones and agnostics? If there are a half dozen or a dozen idiots with a bull horn saying idiotic stuff, but then no one within the orthodox faith countering them in the public square with a different message of hope, then they (the idiots) give the whole faith a bad reputation, even though they may be a minority.
We should all assume that the media will print sensational stuff and more often than not is ill equipped to nuance the Christian faith. Therefore, Christians have a responsibility to choose their public words wisely. At least that’s how I see it.
“Therefore, Christians have a responsibility to choose their public words wisely.”
On that we agree…
Michael
ā Weāre called out to be a recognizable, āpeculiarā peopleā¦are we?ā
Agreed with the statement and the question.
The problem is defining in our personal and communal lives what that looks like.
Jean
J Lo thigh gripping a giant pole wearing almost nothing is oversexualized. Glad you enjoyed the show š My daughter asked āhowād she get so good on the pole … ?āI did NOT enjoy it. I found it rather uncomfortable with two grandmas and my kids. Changed the channel. For some c reason I thought could watch the super bowl as family friendly entertainment, lol! Holy smokes, people…
If I needed to see 50 year old women flashing their crotches, I, er, … well…
No one needs to see 50 year old women flashing their crotches. Not 40 not 30 not 20… yāknow?
Btw, donāt lump everyone who pays attention to bible prophecies as a homogeneous group. Some have actual intellect that they actually use.
Jerod,
Drop the ethnic slur name or I’ll have to moderate you.
As far as the end times stuff…my intellect says that every prophecy conference and every update so far has been dead wrong.
Jesus is coming back.
That’s all we really know.
I never said I liked the half time show. Art is subjective. Those women were entertaining to their target market. They sold a lot of music on the heels of the show. Do we all have to like the same music and the same performances, or can we enjoy the fact that there is creative diversity?
Why do we want to impose our subjective opinions on others, e.g., “no one needed to see….” Can we speak for everyone? Turn off what you don’t like.
Like I said before, there’s more skin shown at Hooter’s, on Dancing with the Stars, on the Bachelor, on WWE Wrestling, and in years past on Baywatch, and countless other shows and movies rated PG-13, than was shown on the half time show.
Oh goodness gracious Michael
Iām polish
Itās also a nickname I was given
Donāt trouble yourself
Jean
Stop acting clueless.
Oh, the pride just wants me to keep on running my mouth…
“or the green party if it still exists.”
filbertz: the Green Party is the American arm affiliated with International Socialism, just as Labour is in GB. The last time I checked, both websites sported the fluer de lis which is the symbol of international socialism.
One can wonder why Bernie doesn’t run as a Green. Most of America doesn’t understand why the Democratic party sabotaged him the last time and will do so again: because he isn’t a Democrat. But running as a Green might get him a turnout like Ross Perot did at best, and the opposition wins by plurality like Clinton did. Personally? I’m voting for Tulsi Gabbard in the primary here in Cali. And the libertarian in the general, as I did last time.
Jerod,
People look for reasons to discredit and attack me.
I don’t need to have to defend myself against knowingly allowing people to use names that offend people.
Facebook has nothing to do with anything here.
I asked politely a number of times and you ignored me.
Now, I’m done being polite.