Things I Think…
1. In my lifetime there have been three extraneous doctrines that a sizable group of evangelicals demanded for “orthodoxy”. The first was speaking in tongues, then the pretrib rapture…now, it’s Christian nationalism that will get you labeled a “so called” believer if you reject it…it’s always Jesus plus something…
2. It is often argued online among the holy that if abusive leaders or political angst causes you to question the faith, then you had weak faith or no faith to begin with. The truth is that those who question such malignancies understand what Christianity is supposed to be more than the allegedly pious….and the cognitive dissonance demands they let go…
3. Two things required to maintain hope…the promise of spring and the certainty of the resurrection…
4. “The gates of hell will not prevail against the church”… is a true statement…but that doesn’t mean it cannot be diminished beyond mattering in some places…
5. “Success” should not be the defining mark of Christian leadership…”suffering and surviving” should be…because only those who have suffered deeply can know the crucified Christ in reality…
6. The church has a hard time with people who are deconstructing their faith because it protects the very things that caused the deconstruction to begin…
7. Never forget that it took a dogged atheist years to take down Ravi Zacharias…we should be ashamed..
8. In my mind, getting a vaccine shot will be the beginning of the end of the pandemic…but it will also mark acceptance of the end of many lost relationships…and the time to move on in grace and forgiveness…
9. Do not be surprised when people who have been betrayed by spiritual authorities no longer trust the doctrines those authorities taught…nor should you be surprised when people who have been betrayed by those who claimed to love them believe love is more critical than doctrine…
10. The contrast between Jesus and some of His followers…should make you love and worship Jesus even more… as should the contrast between Jesus and yourself…amazing grace that saved a wretch like me…
#8-First vaccine shot tomorrow. I was too young for one group, but just right when vaccines were opened up to teachers. Not much will change right away. I’ll sill be zooming along with my students as schools are opening slowly in my area of California. But, it’s a start and I am encouraged that life will continue to return to something approaching “normal”-whatever the new normal is. That, truly, is the question.
Good thoughts dear Michael. Even though we part company on the assessment of a certain late Houston pastor. These are very good points to ponder. .
God keeo
Michael,
I fear the pandemic is but an excuse for the wolves to ravage the sheep – some are actually pastors (Chino).
Before, youâre suffering wasnât real if due to mental illness.
Now, if due to COVID, youâre faking.
Next these charlatans will impanel themselves cancer isnât real, heart disease, heck, why not cavities! Thatâs right! If youâre brushing your teeth, youâre an idiot theyâll say.
Once, like Hitler, you get people to accept some deaths donât matter (the numbers are cooked so a nice New York genocide against old people is acceptable), the rest is easy.
The church will be ground zero for all sorts of misery.
Oh wait! I forgot about all the kids, women, and others that were ignored.
By the way, Iâm not calling anyone Hitler.
Iâm pointing out weâve gone from leaving the 99 for the 1, pure religion of caring for women and children, etc, to, making excuses, particularly in fields we know nothing about (if you think a video=an MD, youâre deluded), to salve our consciences for all the misery right in our midst, but whatâs most important, is the same old building, system, power, $ idols.
I apologize for the Hitler reference to a pastor, not for his sake, but the Lord chose him.
I was on another blog today and there was a discussion about RZ. Some folks are having a really hard time with it…
I have a rather sheltered neightbor who loves Ravi Z. I have chosen not to tell her what we know about him. I can’t see any reason to tell her.
Xena? Who’s that!?
I’d better fix it.
One of the things that drew me to my church tradition is the thoroughly realistic anthropology. Whether itâs a pastor, celebrity theologian, or politician (hello Governor Cuomo), we all are afflicted by sin which reigns in our flesh.
#5 Michael. You just changed my day!
I’m about to stroll in my door knowing I’m a successful man.
UnCCed–I’m with you. Except I myself am not shy about making the Hitler reference. What’s happening with the Republican Party today is eerily reminiscent to 1920s Germany. The Nazi Party attempted a coup in 1923, which failed. The Germans actually executed some semblance of justice. They jailed the leaders of the Nazi party for treason. But, like us, their “justice” was soft. Hitler was released from prison and ten years years later, became the Chancellor of Germany. Trump is a megalomaniac. He will do anything for revenge and ,of course, money. Killing and human life isn’t important to him, obviously. Just stuff I’m thinking about right now,
Fox News has hired T****’s former press secretary, Kayleigh whoever.
Speaking of Hitler/Nazi references:
âItâs truly disgusting they fired hard-working journalists who did care about facts and news reporting only to turn around and hire a mini-Goebbels whose incessant lies from the White House helped incite an insurrection on our democracy that got five people killed, including a police officer,â a Fox News insider raged to The Daily Beast.
âPost-Trump Fox is quickly becoming a very scary place and quite dangerous for our democracy. Itâs not even conservative news anymore. Theyâve plunged into an alternate reality where extremist propaganda is the only course on the menu.â
https://www.thedailybeast.com/fox-news-insiders-rage-against-hiring-mini-goebbels-kayleigh-mcenany?ref=home
Goebbels and the propaganda and control of the media. Another Nazi parallel. Then the white supremacy. The âBig Lieâ was a Goebbels thing.
8. In my mind, getting a vaccine shot will be the beginning of the end of the pandemicâŠbut it will also mark acceptance of the end of many lost relationshipsâŠand the time to move on in grace and forgivenessâŠ
Can you explain this?
Maybe Iâm just slow…
jtk,
Some folks that used to be among those I counted as friends have decided that I am an odious person because I reject their conspiracy theories and Christian nationalism.
I’ve tried to keep those relationships on life support…we’ve tried to be clear about our convictions without being overly harsh or by posting sarcastic memes on social media every day.
We’ve tried to be open to dialog.
It hasn’t worked.
It’s time to move on…always open to reconciliation, but no longer actively seeking it.
Michael
“Reconciliation:
the act of getting two things to be compatible with one another.”
Some facts and some relationships simply cannot be made compatible…
JTK,
There are people who very sincerely believe that the pandemic is a lot of hype and fake news. I think they might see receiving a vaccine as the ultimate sellout to the plandemic narrative. This includes some members of my family. They will have comments as I go off to get my first vaccine today.
On the other hand, I am very excited and grateful that teachers were moved up a few spaces so we can get kids safely back in the classroom.
Reading comments…
Interesting viewpoints…. đ
In regards to #7, the Evangelical community in the US, owes Stephen Baughman their gratitude for taking down a very large and destructive wolf that had been preying on the sheep for decades.
https://wonderingeagle.wordpress.com/2021/03/01/why-the-evangelical-community-in-the-united-states-should-be-in-deep-gratitude-to-atheist-steve-baughman/
In regards to #2 (the revelabt portion quoted below):
“The truth is that those who question such malignancies understand what Christianity is supposed to be more than the allegedly piousâŠ.and the cognitive dissonance demands they let go⊔
That is why the NONES (of which I am one) and the DONES are increasingly rapidly in numbers.
In regards to #9 (the first part), is yet another reason why NONES and DONES are increasingly rapidly in numbers:
In regards to #6, perhaps it is about time that Evangelicalism be deconstructed:
https://wonderingeagle.wordpress.com/2021/03/03/at-this-point-the-emphasis-needs-to-be-the-deconstruction-of-evangelicalism-if-you-stay-an-evangelical-christian-despite-the-constant-scandals-and-problems-i-would-honestly-question-your-faith/
Jesus is exactly who He said He was…and there are still those who worship him in spirit and truth.
What is it with Christians and the far right of the Republican Party?
It’s like iron filings to a magnet.
Operation Warp Speed
https://www.democraticunderground.com/1017643981
Michael,
I am saddened each time I hear you tell of friendships you’ve lost over such things…. I just don’t get it. At all. It makes no sense to me to part ways over such temporal matters.
Friendships matter.
Owen,
It shouldn’t happen-the loss of friendships-but it’s one of the sad realities of our times. I have one friend of 30 years who got really upset when I told her I couldn’t vote for the former president. She started yelling at me over the phone. We’ve had a little contact since then, but it’s pretty strained. I have a family member who had a similar reaction when we were discussing COViD. Not wanting to start a fight, I just listened as he lectured me on all my wrong opinions (I think he may be deep into QAnon or some other altered version of reality). I’ve needed to decide how much I want to be yelled at (I’m not a yeller). There is no room for debate of even polite banter. One of my neighbors and his mother are both devoted Trumpeteers, and the son is into Q. They have been trying to convert me, and I’ve been recently just waving on my daily walks. The mother actually yelled at me in the middle of the street a couple months ago, and I just don’t have the patience for it at this point. It happens on the other side, too. I had a work colleague stop talking to me when she realized I didn’t believe in abortion (she asked, I gave a polite answer). That story has a better ending, and we talk, but I avoid politics. I grew up in the 60s, and I remember my dad and our neighbor actually discussing politics (one Dem, the other Repub), but that doesn’t seem to happen much nowadays.
Owen,
Unfortunately, I have mastered the art of letting go.
It has been a tool for my sanctification as I have managed not to respond in kind and leave in peace.
There is no room anymore for discussion or debate…people have decided everything is an all or nothing binary…and I’ve never done well with binaries…
4
That’s because the church doesn’t have walls…
not unlike this site.
Sorry to say so,
but sadly it’s true,
your site hosts the church
and some ne’er-do-wells, too.