Linkathon!
Left behind at the ballot box...how eschatology influences politics…and vice versa….
“And the beast was allowed to wage war against God’s holy people and to conquer them.” (Revelation 13:7 NLT-SE)
“As I watched, this horn was waging war against God’s holy people and was defeating them, until the Ancient One—the Most High—came and judged in favor of his holy people. Then the time arrived for the holy people to take over the kingdom.” (Daniel 7:21–22 NLT-SE)
Trump event at Vegas Calvary Chapel draws fire…
“Sound of Freedom” doesn’t tell the true story of “Operation Underground Railroad”…
Because the issue of human trafficking is real and horrific, Christians have been rightfully and deeply concerned about it. Unfortunately, there are always those who will take advantage of our hearts…I’ve had similar concerns about Tim Ballard as MinistryWatch has for a long time, but have ended up being verbally curb stomped for daring to voice them. In criminal endeavors and the never ending shakedown of Christian wallets, predators know easy targets…
SBC is running out of worship leaders…
The bogeyman threat of Christian nationalism…
Living with moral OCD…very good article…
For too many Christians the lines between dominionism, nationalism, and fascism are blurred…
Confessions of a depressed pastor...I’ve heard many similar “confessions”…
Do we really have the power to speak things into existence?
Hagiography and the martyrdom of St. Margaret…
Which is better…a paper bible or digital? I use both…all my sermon prep and research is digital, but there is nothing like holding and reading a well made paper Bible…
More later….
There’s some decent stuff this week…worth a gander…
Greg Laurie is a master at self promotion…
https://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2023/jul/12/greg-laurie-were-battle-over-soul-america/
“This is the most amazing thing that’s ever happened at this church ― other than you giving your life to the Lord.”
Apparently God hasn’t done much in that church. What was that you were saying about lampstands, Michael?
CK,
Bingo!
I hope he’s happy with the reward he has here…because it’s all he’s going to get…
Re: speaking things into existence:
This false teaching has spilled over into the secular world at an alarming rate lately. I shake my head at the number of people I see posting about “manifesting” this or that, usually referring to finances or some other type of fulfillment.
CK,
I see it a lot too…especially among the younger generations….
I have to wonder what eternity will be like for slime like Tim Ballard.
“ It is not enough for Ukraine to enter Western military and political institutions; it must become Western culturally, and that requires a theological change. Both in theory and in practice, Ukraine is emerging as the newest province of the West’s empire of secularization.”
The USA strikes again! Grrr…
CK,
One of the selling points of Islam to our young men is that the west has no moral standards…and it’s a hard argument to refute…
Found Haas’ skepticism pretty resonant with my own skepticism about the probability that Christian Nationalists of any stripe will gain actual political power and competently wield it. Atwood dystopian fantasies make for pop fiction tropes but that doesn’t mean the dystopias are going to occur. Not that I really agree with any stripe of Christian Nationalism but L Benjamin Rolsky has had a few pieces at Los Angeles Review of Books in the last year or so about how progressive pundits have fretted about fundamentalism and it has turned out to be a paper tiger in actual real-world terms. He’s a bit more blunt and says progressives, secular or religious, should not be taking cues from the likes of Randall Balmer or Jeff Sharlet who seem to have vanished into a parallel universe of conspiracy peddling comparable to folks on The Blaze.
The older I get the more consistently I say I figured out during my Mars Hill years that I’m a Mark Hatfield style Republica/moderate conservative in religion and politics and neither the DNC nor the GOP has seemed to have a place for that kind of person since roughly the end of the Cold War.
I love having a paper Bible but if I can get away with an all-digital collection of Richard Sibbes I’ll be happy with that. Been going through Sibbes’ sixteen sermons on the motif of “The Returning Backslider” for those who have actually read Puritans.
Apropos of nothing I finished Roger Scruton’s book on the Anglican church and was negatively impressed by how ethnically English his conception of Anglicanism was (there are probably more Anglicans (and more orthodox Anglicans) in Africa than all the UK these days). Scruton has shown that Anglo-American conservative Christian evangelicals seem to have no problem with the basic demythologizing conceit of Rudolf Bultmann just as long as a tweedy English conservative says the stuff and not a German. I don’t know if I have a big enough of an eyeroll emoticon for that.
“One of the selling points of Islam to our young men is that the west has no moral standards…and it’s a hard argument to refute…”
One of my former colleagues from mainland China said that this was what they were taught growing up. Like, “Americans are infested with HIV!” There’s _some_ truth (not necessarily about HIV, specifically), but there’s also propaganda and hypocrisy.
https://www.christianitytoday.com/news/2023/july/anti-trafficking-ministries-nonprofits-sound-of-freedom.html?utm_source=CT+Daily+Briefing+Newsletter&utm_medium=Newsletter&utm_term=229321&utm_content=13703&utm_campaign=email
Have to confess the word “experts” in a title alerts me to propaganda. It’s a trigger warning. My CT subscription finally ran out so I don’t know if this would have passed the smell test.
Alan,
There are still such things as experts…I’m finally getting into the pain clinic today and I hope it is staffed by something more than people with “informed opinions”…
We’ve received a lot of unpleasant feedback for linking to the MinistryWatch and CT stories about Tim Ballard.
I infuriated a former friend a few years ago when I refused to promote OU because he didn’t pass my smell test a at that time…based on the views of local law enforcement and sources from Mexico who deal with the issue every day.
Human trafficking is a real, immense, issue.
We won’t solve it by creating mythological heroes…like every other ill that besets us, it is more of a daily grind…and we can all play a role in that grinding.
Frankly, I don’t know what the movie is apart from some hype. neither do I think such things accomplish much more than stirring the animosity that simply lurks seeking attention. So I should have held my comment as I don’t really care. There are plenty of ways to get involved in combating trafficking. Watching movies is not one. We all know the movie making process is not truth seeking but profit seeking.
May your pain clinic be result yielding!
Thank you, my friend…last stop before surgery…
Michael,
I do not comment often, but I want you to know I pray for healing and comfort prior to surgical intervention. I am so sorry for your suffering….
my late husband had taken up with another woman (yes, i knew) and was planning to divorce me and move to Phoenix, AZ. he counselled with our pastor as to how to break the news to me. i suspect our pasror told him that adulterors go to Hell. He changed his mind and didn’t leave.
BTW what kind of woman goes after a married man?????
Michael
Let me know the outcome of the procedure.
Again, if you need a ride, I’m more than happy take you
Btw- I’m a nicer person in person 🙂
Chris A,
Thank you…the prayers are needed and much appreciated.
I finally got my appointment at the pain center.
The PA and I hit it off quickly, something that is rarer in my life than it should be.
He thinks the administration of 4 shots in my spine will be helpful…but even though he’s doing all he can it will be at least a month before I can actually get those shots.
He explained to me why the Percocet no longer does much…and did all he could to help me.
I came home quite discouraged…but was greeted warmly by my cat and Trey had left a magnificent meal for me.
We persevere…it’s good practice, I guess.
Em,
That had to be hurtful.
Soon abounds…
Interesting articles on Christian nationalism. In some ways they appear like buffoons, but they manage to get organized enough to get elected. A little more organization on 1/6/21 might have led to the deaths of some senators and a VP. People didn’t Hitler too seriously in the beginning, either.
Linn,
Well said…this comparison is completely valid…and utterly terrifying.