Ed Stetzer Vs. Al - Part 2

A Community of Cruciformity

I want to write a book.  I think I am going to go for it after I graduate from seminary next May.  I want it to edify the church by using the word, "cruciformity", and how it fits within the missional framework of what the church is called to know/be/do.  For me, it all started with the book by Michael Gorman called, Apostle of the Crucified Lord.  In it, Gorman writes:

The inseparable interconnections of Father, Son and Spirit in Paul's experience lead to (or perhaps derive from) an important, and distinctively Pauline claim: that God is cruciform, or crosslike.  (The word 'cruciform' literally means 'in the shape of a cross,' but it can be used metaphorically.)  That is, we learn from Paul that the cross of Christ is not only initiated by God, it reveals God.  Christ crucified is the power and wisdom of God (1 Corinthians 1:18-25). (Pages 118-119).

Also Gorman writes,

For Paul the death of Jesus is not only revelatory, representative, and redemptive...but also paradigmatic. The essence of believing existence is conformity to the crucified Christ, or cruciformity.  Though cruciformity may involve suffering, it is much more comprehensive than that.  Paul twice refers to it as the "law of Christ," or the narrative pattern of the crucified Messiah (Galatians 6:2; 1 Corinthians 9:21).  This narrative pattern refers specifically to the kind of "faith working through love" (Galatians 5:6) that is rooted in the cross, where the Son of God expressed his faith (faithfulness, obedience) by giving himself in love (Galatians 2:19-20).  He did not seek his own welfare but that of others, as Paul's master story tells it (Philippians 2:1-11).  This is the pattern of life for all believers: faith toward God, love toward others.  Faith oriented toward the future is hope; thus Paul summarizes believing existence as a life of faith, hope, and love. (Page 140).

I wonder what the body of Christ in America could look like if we were to embrace suffering. I am not saying that we are to be stupid (God has given us brain power!); rather we ought to be living in such a way that we not only reflect Christ, but embody him as well.  It would seem historically that when the Church grew the most, it was when she was persecuted. Maybe we've gotten a little too comfy here in the US of A.  I want that book someday to empower churches to take risks for the sake of Christ. Try something different and pray that God would use it.  Be a cruciform community of faith.

"The Challenge We Face."

Dr. Albert Mohler posted on his blog some thoughts regarding the recent upholding of marriage between a man and a women in the state of California.  Below are his remarks.  VERY interesting...

The challenge of defending marriage as the union of a man and a woman was on full public display on November 4. The immediate news was very encouraging indeed. Voters in Arizona, Florida, and California all passed measures defending marriage and prohibiting same-sex marriages in their states. These three states, added to the over twenty others that had already passed similar constitutional amendments or similar provisions, have made a massive public statement in support of marriage.

Without question, that is good news. The vote in California was especially significant, as Proposition 8 allowed the citizens of the nation's most populous state to take the issue back from the state's Supreme Court, which had arrogantly usurped the authority of the people in a 4/3 decision back in May. The 52-48 vote was a clear win for marriage, and a geographical vote distribution chart shows that same-sex marriage has support mainly in the Bay area of San Francisco and neighboring communities. The win in Florida was important because the measure needed 60 percent of the votes in order to pass. It received 62 percent of the votes cast. The Arizona vote was similarly significant -- in this case because that state had been the only state to date to have turned down a similar measure in a previous election.

Nevertheless, legal challenges were quickly filed in California. The most threatening of these asks the California Supreme Court to rule the measure as unconstitutional because it "revises" rather than "amends" the state's constitution. The claim is specious, but so was the argument accepted by the court back in May. This much is clear -- any court that would overrule a mandate from the people in this manner will undermine its own legitimacy.

In other developments, statements from two prominent politicians made news on the issue. California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger encouraged same-sex marriage advocates to press ahead. He even expressed hope that the state's Supreme Court would overrule the voice of the people. "It's unfortunate, obviously, but it's not the end," Schwarzenegger told CNN. "I think that we will again maybe undo that, if the court is willing to do that, and then move forward from there and again lead in that area."

As The Los Angeles Times reported:

Schwarzenegger publicly opposed Proposition 8, which amends the state Constitution to declare that "only marriage between a man and a woman is valid or recognized in California."

On Sunday, he urged backers of gay marriage to follow the lesson he learned as a bodybuilder trying to lift weights that were too heavy for him at first. "I learned that you should never ever give up. . . . They should never give up. They should be on it and on it until they get it done ."

What makes this especially interesting is that Schwarzenegger had run for office opposing same-sex marriage. He is not now a candidate for re-election. As the paper observed, "With his favorable comments toward gay marriage, the governor's thinking appears to have evolved on the issue."

Meanwhile, Speaker of the House Rep. Nancy Pelosi told The San Francisco Chronicle that voters just have misunderstood the measure. In a stunning demonstration of political condescension, Rep. Pelosi argued: "Unfortunately, I think people thought they were making a statement about what their view of same-sex marriage was . . . . I don't know if it was clear that this meant that we are amending the Constitution to diminish freedom in our state." If anything, the wording of the proposition, controversial in itself, makes the Speaker's point even more ludicrous. Is she seriously suggesting that the voters of her home state cannot be taken seriously when they defend marriage? It appears so.

In yet other developments, protesters marched in front of the Mormon Temple on Santa Monica Boulevard in Los Angeles and across the street from Saddleback Community Church. The Mormon church was the largest single financial contributor to the fight for Proposition 8, and major Evangelical churches were behind the effort as well, joined by many Roman Catholics.

On the other hand, as reported in The Los Angeles Times:

"We will continue to bless same-sex unions here until we can legally celebrate same-sex unions again," the Rev. Ed Bacon told 1,000 congregants during Sunday services at All Saints Episcopal Church in Pasadena, which has blessed same-sex unions for 16 years.

After the service, Bacon and other clergy members held a news conference on the church steps. They were surrounded by gay and lesbian couples, some standing with young children.

"I know these couples. I know their relationships," Bacon said, addressing a phalanx of television cameras. "They should be celebrated, rather than disparaged. . . . In the eyes of God, these people are married."

This struggle isn't over -- not even close.

Missional Mondays: Ed Stetzer vs. Al

Christians Today:

Post-Election Thoughts.

This is not going to be politically focused, rather I hope it is biblically focused in the realm of politics.  There is a difference!  And I will be throwing in some sociological issues as well.  I want this to be an honest out-pouring of my love for God and his bride, the Church.

I was not surprised by the election results just hours ago.  In fact, McCain would have lost if he were running against a tree.  Reason?  Change.  People wanted change.  Barack Obama said over and over that he would be the guy to bring change.  McCain had 8 years of Bush hanging over his head which did not help him at all.  People got sick of the war in Iraq, sick of gas prices and most assuredly sick of the apparent 'crumbling' of the economy.  Most would agree on those issues and America spoke just three days ago.

But what are we to make of Barack Obama?  He has confessed his Christian faith while remaining one of the most liberal senators out there.  Are they compatible?  Is signing the Freedom of Choice Act a Christian value?  No.  But this isn't where I'm going (anyone who has read this blog before knows my passion for the abortion issue).  Those things are important and I do think that this Act would be a HUGE step in the wrong direction for Abortion, but, 3 nights ago...

Barack Obama made history.  He is the first Black President to be elected in the United States of America.  Amazing.  While I wish he were Republican, I can still have a voice.  I told some of my friends at work the other day that while I pretty much disagree with everything Obama has ever said, I can respect my new President on not only this historical level, but a biblical level as well.  (Romans 13:1).  Which leads me to my next point.

Theology.  I've seen many a people act like the world has crumbled and America is now going straight to hell.  Not true.  God doesn't send countries to hell; he sends unregenerate sinners to hell (to be precise, they send themselves to hell).  Some people have said that God now hates America and is punishing her for electing Obama.  Doubtful that God hates America, but Obama could be judgment, I'll give you that much.  But we don't know because we're not God, nor do we make that call as if God was a Republican.  Art Boulet posted some of his thoughts here as he evaluated some other people's remarks as well.  He noted, and I will stress as well, that God is not only in control of the ends, he's in control of the means as well.  God purposed this and now we must continue to be the church, preach the Gospel, take care of the orphans and live as salt and light.  Easy enough right?

I will be praying for Barack Obama.  Working in Philadelphia has exposed me to the African-American and Urban culture and you better believe that Philly celebrated like it was another Phillies World Series victory.  It was a historic moment and I pray that racial relationships will be healed, as I often see the tension and pain in the city.  I also pray that Obama supporters will not worship this man as if he were a messiah.  I saw a lot of excitement in Philly, but it makes me nervous when people put their "faith" in a man.  Somehow through it all, regardless of your political propensity, abortion must be stopped and biblical values need to be restored.  It's time for the church to be The Church.  With America slipping away, it seems, with morality, Christians must get back to the biblical program.  We are still free to preach and proclaim God's message of Salvation, and therefore we must do so.

The bottom line is, it was good that Barack Obama won.  I say this because God willed it to be done and God's will is perfect and always good.  We must learn from this (even if it were McCain-for those who liked McCain) and continue to be about God's Kingdom in this world.  Our focus is not on politics, rather it is on God and the beauty of His Gospel as it goes about in this world.  Christians, let's do it.

Economics 101

From Blog and MaBlog comes...

Barstool Economics.

Suppose that every day, ten men go out for beer and the bill for all ten comes to $100. If they paid their bill the way we pay our taxes, it would go something like this:

The first four men (the poorest) would pay nothing.

The fifth would pay $1.

The sixth would pay $3.

The seventh would pay $7.

The eighth would pay $12.

The ninth would pay $18.

The tenth man (the richest) would pay $59.

So, that's what they decided to do. The ten men drank in the bar every day and seemed quite happy with the arrangement, until one day, the owner threw them a curve. 'Since you are all such good customers, he said, 'I'm going to reduce the cost of your daily beer by $20. Drinks for the ten now cost just $80.

The group still wanted to pay their bill the way we pay our taxes so the first four men were unaffected. They would still drink for free. But what about the other six men - the paying customers? How could they divide the $20 windfall so that everyone would get his 'fair share?'

They realized that $20 divided by six is $3.33. But if they subtracted that from everybody's share, then the fifth man and the sixth man would each end up being paid to drink his beer. So, the bar owner suggested that it would be fair to reduce each man's bill by roughly the same amount, and he proceeded to work out the amounts each should pay.

And so:

The fifth man, like the first four, now paid nothing (100% savings).

The sixth now paid $2 instead of $3 (33%savings).

The seventh now paid $5 instead of $7 (28%savings).

The eighth now paid $9 instead of $12 (25% savings).

The ninth now paid $14 instead of $18 (22% savings).

The tenth now paid $49 instead of $59 (16% savings).

Each of the six was better off than before And the first four continued to drink for free. But once outside the restaurant, the men began to compare their savings.

'I only got a dollar out of the $20', declared the sixth man.

He pointed to the tenth man,' but he got $10!'

'Yeah, that's right', exclaimed the fifth man. 'I only saved a dollar, too. It's unfair that he got ten times more than I!'

'That's true!!' shouted the seventh man. 'Why should he get $10 back when I got only two? The wealthy get all the breaks!'

'Wait a minute,' yelled the first four men in unison. 'We didn't get anything at all. The system exploits the poor!'

The nine men surrounded the tenth and beat him up.

The next night the tenth man didn't show up for drinks, so the nine sat down and had beers without him. But when it came time to pay the bill, they discovered something important. They didn't have enough money between all of them for even half of the bill!

And that, boys and girls, journalists and college professors, is how our tax system works. The people who pay the highest taxes get the most benefit from a tax reduction. Tax them too much, attack them for being wealthy, and they just may not show up anymore. In fact, they might start drinking overseas where the atmosphere is somewhat friendlier.

David R. Kamerschen, Ph.D.

Professor of Economics, University of Georgia

For those who understand, no explanation is needed.

For those who do not understand, no explanation is possible.

Is America ready to go from a Democracy with limited government to a larger government called Socialism? I sure hope not.

ESV Study Bible

Bob Kauflin , author of Worship Matters, gives his top ten reasons for getting the new ESV Study Bible. Pick up Kauflin's book too.

1.    It’s based on the English Standard Version, which is one of the finest and most faithful translations available today. While it’s always good to consult various translations for study, the ESV does a great job recognizing variants in translation in the footnotes.

2.    The introductory notes to each book are informative and helpful, and don’t overwhelm you with interesting but non-essential background information.

3.    The notes are extensive and answer questions I actually have about the text, without avoiding difficult passages.

4.    The notes cover material that is not only helpful, but pastoral, aimed at helping me understand God’s Word better and loving God more.

5.    The notes are well laid out. Larger section, shorter, then vs. by vs. I’ve found them easy to follow along with the text.

6.    The treatment of the first few chapters of Genesis is very even-handed and well-researched. The notes aim to give us an appreciation for the interplay of science and the Bible without giving ground on the ultimate authority of Scripture.

7.    The focus is always Gospel-centered. The notes seek to answer the question, “Where does this section of the Bible fit into the larger story of God sending Jesus to redeem a people for his glory?”

8.    The articles in the back of the Bible are almost a book in themselves (I’d love to see Crossway publish these separately), and address many significant issues clearly, briefly, and effectively. They include Biblical Doctrine, Biblical Ethics, Reading the Bible, The Reliability of Bible Manuscripts, The Bible and World Religions, and the History of Salvation in the Old Testament.

9.    The maps and illustrations actually contain the cities, areas, and details I want to know about, and are placed close to the passages they refer to.

10.    The notes don’t go beyond what the text says. They affirm what is clear, and plainly present different views when a word, phrase, or passage is unclear.

Wanna Be Missional?

Think Dell Computers and then take the time to read this post from Ed Stetzer dot com.  Seriously.  Even coming from a Mac guy, this is good.

Lead For The City

I'm doing my best to try and watch this today and tomorrow (I'm way to busy during the day with a little thing called work), but there is a conference going on in St. Louis called Lead For The City .  It is sponsored by the Acts 29 Network and the Resurgence.  They are doing a free web-cast of the event here and the schedule of the events can be seen here.  Check it out!

The Textual-Hermeneutical Ambivalencies of Scripture

I'm learning to live with some certain tensions in my Christian walk; one of which is the tension between a Sovereign God and the God given "Free Will" of man.  Don't get me wrong, I'm a committed Calvinist, but I cannot simply shy away from some Scriptures that seem to lean Arminian.  I'm not willing to simply 'give up' , but again, I'm learning to live in that tension and quite frankly, I'm okay with it.  But this isn't where I want to go with this post.  Let start by defining some terms and this will lead into what I'm talking about.

"Textual-Hermeneutic" - What I mean by this is grounded in the hermeneutics (art and science of interpretation) that we use for Scripture.  "Textual" is just a qualifier, meant to connect interpretation to the Bible.  In other words, the "text" is connected to the "interpretation".

"Ambivalencies" - From Merriam Webster - simultaneous and contradictory attitudes or feelings (as attraction and repulsion) toward an object, person, or action.  Also: uncertainty as to which approach to follow.  Literally, I'm holding two opposing views that are (seemingly) contradictory or opposed to each other when dealing with the interpretation of Scripture.


So here we go.


I don't like a "moral" reading of Scripture.  Let me clarify: I think it is a terrible way to bring about the primary applications.  If I want to learn the moral of the story, I can go read a Disney book. I am not saying that morality cannot be derived from Scripture, because ultimately it derives from God.  What I am saying, for example, is that when we take a story (most often from the Old Testament) and make a "moral of the story" extrapolation or conclusion of it, we are missing the point.  In other words, for example, the point of David and Goliath is NOT that we are to "fight the giants in our lives".  The point of Jesus' Resurrection is NOT to "remove the stones from your life that are holding you back".  Hopefully you know what I mean at this point.  Ah, why not another one.  The point of Esther is NOT "for women to be bold and courageous".  


Now.  These principles can most certainly be true, but we are circumventing Scripture and its narrative story-line and purpose when we do this.  I've said this before and I'll say it again: we should apply our lives to the Bible, not apply the Bible to our lives.  There is a difference.  We are a part of the ongoing story.  Pastors short-change their flock when they tell their congregants to act in a moral way because 'so and so' in Scripture did this.  When we teach this way, we are leaving out the Gospel.  This moralistic teaching most assuredly is works righteousness.  We cannot know how to truly love until we understand what Christ did for us.  That's a fact.  We can't really please God (remember, we are dead to sin!) by our "good behavior".  It's only with the imputed (not infused) righteousness of Christ that we rely and depend on to 'please' God.


Okay, so the ambivalent part.  I said all of that and now I'm going to shift gears a bit (hopefully you'll make the connection).  When someone with absolutely no theological or scholarly training picks up Scripture, he/she is going to be able to understand it (for the most part).  This is how Augustine was saved, and many people in history.  But what if what you are reading isn't really what the text means?  In other words, what if, for instance, someone is reading Isaiah 7:14 without ever reading the New Testament.  What did Isaiah originally mean?  Not Jesus.  He was most certainly referring to something in his present scenario.  It wasn't until Matthew had experienced the risen Christ that made him able to say what he did about prophecy being fulfilled (Matthew 1:22-23).  My point is really simple so I won't belabor it.  Scripture is more fluid than solid (i.e., it transcends time and is flexible, rather than like a 'rock', which sits still and doesn't move).  Some of you might be reading this and thinking: "well duh Jason, we knew this".  Well, I didn't know this and it took me 5 years of College/Seminary to "get it".  :)

I'm somewhat of a dogmatic person, so for me, I need a solid objective meaning out of Scripture.  But why not a little bit of Spirit-guided, Jesus exalting, community forming, subjective reading for someone who may or may not know much about Scripture?  I would have before flagged "heresy", but now I'm less apt to want to do that.  I think it's okay within the boundaries of:1) other Scripture, 2) Church Tradition, 3) diversity within the body, and 4) submission to our leaders in the church.  Now, if only we'd read our bibles more! :)

One-Point Calvinist?

Scott Thomas, director of the Acts 29 Church Planting Network, recently blogged about Calvinism and the need for all 5-points because each of them directly rely on the other.  He writes,

As a church planter, I received more arguments over our position of Reformed Theology than I did everything else combined. It angered the most faithful of Christians and confused others. Only a handful, I believed, truly understood the doctrine of salvation as described in the Bible. It was a point of contention that got people off mission--even though it was not presented in a polarizing manner.

Recently I read The Five Points of Calvinism co-authored by David Steele, Curtis Thomas and Lance Quinn (P&R Publishing). I felt it was a shepherdly treatise on the doctrines of grace that can help the layman to understanding the centrality of God in the salvation of man. The book quotes JI Packer, whom I had the pleasure of spending the day with recently. I think his explanation of Calvinism as "one point" is brilliant.

Packer said, "The very act of setting out Calvinistic soteriology [the doctrine of salvation] in the form of five distinct points (a number due, as we saw, merely to the fact that there were five Arminian points for the Synod of Dort to answer) tends to obscure the organic character of Calvinistic thought on this subject. For the five points, though separately stated, are inseparable. They hang together; you cannot reject one without rejecting them all, at least in the sense in which the Synod meant them. For to Calvinism there is really only one point to be made in the field of soteriology: the point that God saves sinners.

"God – the Triune Jehovah, Father, Son and Spirit; three Persons working together in sovereign wisdom, power and love to achieve the salvation of a chosen people, the Father electing, the Son fulfilling the Father’s will by redeeming, the Spirit executing the purpose of Father and Son by renewing.

"Saves – does everything, first to last, that is involved in bringing man from death in sin to life in glory: plans, achieves and communicates redemption, calls and keeps, justifies, sanctifies, glorifies.

"Sinners – men as God finds them, guilty, vile, helpless, powerless, unable to lift a finger to do God’s will or better their spiritual lot. God saves sinners – and the force of this confession may not be weakened by disrupting the unity of the work of the Trinity, or by dividing the achievement of salvation between God and man and making the decisive part man’s own, or by soft-pedalling the sinner’s inability so as to allow him to share the praise of his salvation with his Saviour. This is the one point of Calvinistic soteriology which the “five points” are concerned to establish and Arminianism in all its forms to deny: namely, that sinners to not save themselves in any sense at all, but that salvation, first and last, whole and entire, past, present and future, is of the Lord, to whom be glory for ever; amen."

J.I. Packer, “Introductory Essage,” in The Death of Death in the Death of Christ, by John Owen (London: Banner of Truth, 1959) 4-5.

Very good.

Abortion Arguments: Part 2

Abortion Arguments: Part 1

Composure.

I thought that I better take the time to shamelessly plug my wife's blog which can be seen here. It's really funny because it contains a lot of the day to day things of motherhood that I don't get to see or witness because I work as a full-time social worker (not to mention I'm the dad, not the mom), part-time pastor (which is actually a full time gig, but it is considered part-time of course), full-time Seminary Student as well as community organizer like Barack Obama.  (Just kidding on that last one...I thought it would be funny).  What I love about my wife is her compassion for people.  She's not afraid to tell you like it is, but she is very gentle spirited and it shows in her blog.  She just started it the other day and already has more readers than I do.  Shocking. :)

And I love her and what she does.  I may be busy, but her job is just as important, if not more important, than me working to pay the bills.  There is something to be said for a women liks this. Proverbs 31.

Missional Mondays

It's been a fun couple of weeks for me; stressful at times, but fun, especially looking back.  I just finished a great class called: Jesus and His Mission.  It was VERY insightful and it most assuredly helped me in my studies.  On top of that, Elijah started to crawl, Mary and I saw the move Fireproof twice, and I got to study hard and preach 2 weeks in a row on Hosea .  Again, very busy, but fun.

Amidst this busy schedule, I found that my study in Hosea was very helpful.  Israel was chasing after idols and God was tired of it.  He promised Judgment (read: Assyria) for the nation.  He called out the Priests (Hosea 4:6), the Leaders (Hosea 5:1) and the individual pagans who thought that a piece of wood could help them out (Hosea 4:12).  In fact, things were so bad, that God wanted to destroy them.  But God is loving too.  Hosea has a major theme in the book and it deals with the tension between God's Wrath and God's Love.

Theology is important.  Some people bash those who work hard to study and learn doctrine without the realization that its intended purpose is to change that person so he/she can affect the world.  I'm that type of person.  I love the Scriptures because it points me to my Savior.  The more I study and understand, the more I grow in my passion for the Lord.  This is what God had been showing me, that he desires my heart and the attachment to himself (Hebrew: daath Elohim, which is translated "the knowledge of God" should be translated "attachment to God", which is what the word is trying to say; Hosea 6:6).  It's not enough to just 'know' him, we must KNOW him.

NObama For Me.

This election is important.  Actually, all are important but I think that this one is carrying a lot of weight and no doubt, the World is watching.  We have many issues as a nation, however.  People can't pay their bills.  People are hungry.  People can't get the credit they want for the car that they want.  People are sick of the status quo, sick of the War in Iraq, sick of their tax refunds and "sick of George Bush" (as one person said to me).  So...what are the important issues then?  Obviously people are going to vote because of their personal views on certain issues.  These issues, as it seems, in all facets of media are: Economy, War, Taxes, etc.  No doubt that the economy is on a lot of people's minds, but is that the best reason to elect a president?

I think people should vote on the issues that they agree with most (obviously taking in the issues they disagree with the most; for the betterment of society as a whole-not some personal agenda).  For example, there are some things about Obama that I like.  The biggest thing I like about Obama is his age.  He's young and seems to have a good grip on the current social trends (if you send out a text message to announce your VP, you are up with the times in my opinion).  I think that McCain is having to surround himself with younger people too (Palin, and others) so he can stay up on this stuff.  I myself am a younger individual, called to be a Pastor in God's Church, and don't want to be counted out of anything simply because of my age.  Sure I might make mistakes, but that is part of the learning process (not to insinuate that the Presidency is totally equivalent to a Pastoral ministry, but you get my point).

But this leads me to my major beef with Democrats, Liberals and Obama.  Abortion.  I hear people all of the time say to me: "you can't just vote on one issue" or something like that.  Guess what?  I'm not just voting on one issue.  I'm taking into account that if someone does not stand for the LIFE of the Unborn, he/she is automatically disqualified for public office.  We can argue all day about which tax system works the best, what strategy in Iraq would be best, and what to do with terrorism.  But if you can't get the Life issue right, I am unwilling to give you my vote or even consider you for any position in leadership.  Since Obama is "for women's rights" and not "for the rights of the unborn", he is automatically disqualified from becoming President.  Which means that I vote McCain (who is for women's rights, just with a little more conservative twist to what that means) because he's the only other option and it just so happens that he is Pro-Life (and I agree with small government values, etc.).  I'm a Bible-Believing, Jesus-Worshiping, Christian who is going to vote this year, not with my heart (Jeremiah 17:9), but with my Bible.  Paul in Romans 13:1-7 talks about the governing authorities.  He argues that they are there to protect the people.  Are not the unborn people too? Is this not a moral issue like Slavery was?  Answer: Yes they are people and yes it is a moral issue like Slavery.

This leads me again to another point.  Liberals will say: My religious views believe that life starts at conception, but I can't force my views on other people.  Okay, let's run with that argument and see where it goes:

I think that rape is wrong, but I wouldn't want to force my views on this sensitive issue.  We should allow a man to use his body however he wants because he should have that choice.

I think that Slavery is wrong, but again, why would I force my views on someone?  We should allow people to choose whom they want to be a slave and give them every right to do to him/her whatever he/she feels like doing because again, we wouldn't want to impose our views on others.

I think that child pornography is wrong, but again, we don't know (Scientifically) when a child really is a child and shouldn't force our views on others because they should have the right to do whatever they want.

Do you catch the absurdity in this postmodern thinking?  We're playing with absolutes here.  We're taking objective truths and compromising (i.e, 'being tolerant') so that we either 1) don't offend someone, or 2) don't force our religious views on others.

Question Mr./Mrs. Evangelical: Is this the type of person that you want ruining running your country?  Someone who won't stand up for anything biblical, calls himself a Christian, yet belly-ups on these moral issues?  If he can't get this issue right, then what other issues can't he get right?  I don't know how we can say that abortion is not an issue to be concerned about.  I've heard people say: "Well how can you be against abortion but for the war in Iraq"?  That's a logical fallacy for starters.  Second, let's not confuse the issues.  When we start comparing Abortion to other things, we rabbit trail the argument and go off in another tangent.  Abortion is clearly wrong and should not be tolerated.  The Roman Empire was doing it and look what happened to it.

It's time that America gets back its moral compass.  Nobody liked slavery, but all of the sudden we're okay with abortion?  I don't buy it and I certainly don't buy a candidate who says that he is a Christian but won't grow a pair and say that abortion is wrong (pardon the euphemism).  I'm not saying that McCain is on-fire for Jesus (to use some not-so-biblically-informed-evangelical-language).  But the life of the unborn is more important than the economy and again, if you can't get that right, you don't deserve to lead our country.

Missional Mondays

There is an ever growing concern amongst American citizens with the state of our economy.  I know nothing about the Stock Market or Wall Street, but I do know of the corruption that has taken place.  I went off about it before.  But what can we really do about it?  Our society, being the 'service' society that it is, functions on people buying and selling at a certain rate in order to keep up with jobs and profit gain.  It's really sad that all of this money is going to go to feed this demand.  I understand completely the reason why the Government is doing this (they pretty much have to at this point) but I wonder if God doesn't think of America the same way he thought of Israel.  Israel had walked away from the covenant (Hosea 2:13).  They had forgotten about God and the grandeur of the Exile.  As a nation they strayed away from what God was trying to do for them.  Is America going in the same direction?  Most assuredly, American history is scarred with things like Slavery , Oppression of Women, etc., but what is happening with issues like Abortion , Gay Marriage and the like?  Are these not moral issues too?

I'm aware that I would be a terrible theologian if I didn't clarify the fact that God had a specific covenantal relationship with Israel (not the USA) that served its purpose until the coming of our Lord Jesus.  But I think that some of the principles still apply.  Nevertheless, I preached yesterday from Hosea 1-3 and pulled out some of these ideas.  Below is the sermon.

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Idolaters.

Didn't Paul say something about something like this about something in Romans????  Ah yes, Romans 1:25

WOW.

To the Next President:

I think this speech might shake some people up a bit...why don't you give it?

'My Fellow Americans: As you all know, the defeat of the Iraq regime has been completed.

Since congress does not want to spend any more money on this war, our mission in Iraq is complete.

This morning I gave the order for a complete removal of all American forces from Iraq. This action will be complete within 30 days. It is now time to begin the reckoning.

Before me, I have two lists. One list contains the names of countries which have stood by our side during the Iraq conflict. This list is short . The United Kingdom, Spain, Bulgaria, Australia, and Poland are some of the countries listed there.

The other list contains every one not on the first list. Most of the world's nations are on that list. My press secretary will be distributing copies of both lists later this evening.

Let me start by saying that effective immediately, foreign aid to those nations on List 2 ceases immediately and indefinitely. The money saved during the first year alone will pretty much pay for the costs of the Iraqi war. THEN EVERY YEAR THERE AFTER IT'll GO TO OUR SOCIAL SECURITY SYSTEM SO IT WONT GO BROKE IN 20 YEARS.

The American people are no longer going to pour money into third world Hell holes and watch those government leaders grow fat on corruption.

Need help with a famine ? Wrestling with an epidemic? Call France.

In the future, together with Congress, I will work to redirect this money toward solving the vexing social problems we still have at home. On that note, a word to terrorist organizations. Screw with us and we will hunt you down and eliminate you and all your friends from the face of the earth.

Thirsting for a gutsy country to terrorize? Try France or maybe China.

I am ordering the immediate severing of diplomatic relations with France, Germany, and Russia . Thanks for all your help, comrades. We are retiring from NATO as well.

I have instructed the Mayor of New York City to begin towing the many UN diplomatic vehicles located in Manhattan with more than two unpaid parking tickets to sites where those vehicles will be stripped, shredded and crushed. I don't care about whatever treaty pertains to this. You creeps have tens of thousands of unpaid tickets. Pay those tickets tomorrow or watch your precious Benzes, Beamers and limos be turned over to some of the finest chop shops in the world. I love New York.

A special note to our neighbors. Canada is on List 2. Since we are likely to be seeing a lot more of each other, you folks might want to try not pissing us off for a change.

Mexico is also on List 2. Its president and his entire corrupt government really need an attitude adjustment. I will have a couple of extra thousand tanks and infantry divisions sitting around. Guess where I am going to put 'em? Yep, border security.

Oh, by the way, the United States is abrogating the NAFTA treaty - starting now.

We are tired of the one-way highway. Immediately, we'll be drilling for oil in Alaska- which will take care of this country's oil needs for decades to come. If you're an environmentalist who opposes this decision, I refer you to List 2 above: pick a country and move there.

It is time for America to focus on its own welfare and its own citizens. Some will accuse us of isolationism. I answer them by saying, 'darn tootin.'

Nearly a century of trying to help folks live a decent life around the world has only earned us the undying enmity of just about everyone on the planet. It is time to eliminate hunger in America . It is time to eliminate homelessness in America .

To the nations on List 1, a final thought. Thank you guys. We owe you, and we won't forget.

To the nations on List 2, a final thought: You might want to learn to speak Arabic.

God bless America .. Thank you and good night.'

Okay, so maybe it's not exactly the best idea, but the underlying principles are accurate.