In the News: America Spends To Much

The fundamental problem in America government financially is that we spend more than we take in. One can debate whether we should redistribute more or less. However, that is not the heart of the matter. Rather, our philosophy of spending is the problem. Because we have spent more than we have taken in for so long on a consistent basis, the chickens have come home to roost.

Leaders in a republic, democracy, or some type of democratic republic typically reflect the values of the people. As a nation, we spend more than we take in whether one earns much or little. Until we live within our means, the debt crises will continue and will ultimately result in complete economic collapse.

Islam vs. Christianity: Fundamental Difference of Beginnings

There is much hub-bub today attempting to downscale the dangers of Islam. Those who use Islam as a tool of war are considered fringe. Efforts are made to couch Islam as a religion of peace, and anyone who says otherwise is considered intolerant and bigoted. However, accusations of bigotry are unfounded because the beginnings of Islam are violent.

Whether people like it or not, Islam was started as a terrorist religion. In order to promote his ideas, Mohammad would give his followers part of the spoils of of war. As his band of followers became more powerful and dominant, he attracted even more men who held similar warlike persuasions. Concurrently, he promoted his religious positions that were eagerly accepted by these followers because it catered to them as it tickled their ears. As time went on, just as from the beginning, Islam was spread by the sword when necessary.

In contrast, Christianity was birthed in love, grace, and mercy. Those who refused to convert were not punished by the state until the state adopted a sacral society touting Christianity as the religion of the state.

I do want to make it clear that I have known many rather peaceful confessing Muslims who, frankly and thankfully, are inconsistent Muslims. They are peaceful in spite of Islam and merely go through selected rituals. On the other hand, there many wicked men who claim the name of Christ; they are then wicked in spite of Christianity.

Therefore, Christianity and Islam are different right from the start. Demonizing Christianity because of the unfounded Crusades and other sacral society manifestations is just as dishonest as pacifying Islam.

Who Is Your Savior?

If you are looking to anything or anyone except Christ for salvation, then you are deceiving yourself. Even confessing Christians continue to seek salvation in something or someone else besides Christ. Among the many idols that can draw us away from Christ, entitlement programs are surely at the top of the list, with the government being the origin of such benevelonce.

The government is ordained by God do punish evildoers and maintain order in a society, but it cannot save the soul, and it definitely cannot create a utopia of some sort. Government cannot save because it is made up of sinful people that are at best instruments in the hands of the Almighty God.

Christ alone can bring salvation, ultimate justice, peace, joy, love, and prosperity. Such an absolute system will not occur in its fullness until Christ returns and imposes His right hand upon the world with wrath upon the wicked and gracious meriful love upon His sheep.

Therefore, cling to Christ, and do not put your ultimate hope in a politician or political system.

To Him be the glory!

Better in the House of Mourning than Feasting

Every man faces death, and we tend to be cynical or insular. Neither are Biblical, which is what makes Homeward Bound by Edward Hartman so refreshing.

Hartman brings the reader face to face with death without diminishing one's responsibilities in this life. If we are not heavenly minded, we will value that which is fleeting in this life. We are to value this life and the blessings in it, but we must take care not to hold on too tightly to that which we cannot keep. We are stewards, and God will honor right stewardship, yet that must be understood in the face of eternity, whether beholding the glory of God in Christ or bearing His wrath in Hell.

I love how Hartman uses Ecclesiastes (a great treasure in my heart), for Solomon goes to great lengths to describe the vanity of life apart from God. It is better to be in a house of mourning than feasting because it forces us to come to grips with our own mortality. To insulate ourselves from the reality of death is foolish, for there will be Hell to pay for dismissing the Lord's admonition to the impenitent. This is why the gospel is so glorious. Those who repent and bow before Christ no longer fear death. On the contrary, they are ever preparing to behold the Lamb of glory into the ages! Amen!

I have said this many times and it never gets old. My greatest desire is to behold the glory of God in Christ face to face for all eternity as I fall at his feet in worship. That focus always leads me to repentance, for I do not desire sin but detest it. Woe is me when I take my sin lightly and trample upon the grace of God!

Face your own death and embrace the Lord of glory, He who is King of kings and Lord or lords! Amen! Amen!

Perseverance of the Righteous without Bitterness

The Lord commands us to persevere through trials to His glory, yet we often times endure with much bitterness in our hearts. Our plans have not worked as we desired, and, from our perspective, doors may have even closed at the last minute.

However, it is during these times that we are tried and tested the most, and how we react to these trials exposes the disposition of our hearts. During these circumstances, the theology of our hearts is borne out. It is one thing to preach the Sovereignty of God, yet is another to actually embrace God's Sovereign perfect and good will from the heart.

Therefore, when we go through trials, let us cling to Christ and know that He is Lord of lords and King of kings. His love endures forever, so we have no excuse to tread into bitterness. Rather, let us rejoice as did the Apostles that we are given the privilege to suffer for His Name.

America's Atheocracy

Those who oppose Christ regulary erect the straw man that any effort to impart Biblical principles into our society is an attempt to establish a theocracy. Not only is this dishonest, but it is also deceptive.

1) It is dishonest because from the Foundation of America, Christian Statesmen were not advocating a theocracy but a Constitutional Republic that is based on Biblical priniciples. Lest one challenge this, a specific example is warranted. The very assumption of original sin is clearly implied in the Consitution, for, when one reads the documents that surround it like the Federalist and Anti-Federalist papers, the inherent sinfulness or evil bent of man from birth is clearly expounded upon. The fundamental difference is that both sides were at odds on how to contain sin within a fallen society.

2) It is deceptive because some worldview will win the day at any given time, and what is alleged to be secular and thus neutral is a lie. On the contrary, we are becoming and have set the stage for an Atheocracy.

How would I define an atheocracy?

If a theocracy, namely a Christian theocracy, is a government based on the Bible and executes harsh punishment for any violation of Biblical Law wherein the Kingdom is manifested in its glory visibly, then an atheocracy is a society wherein God or any semblance of God is removed from all facets of life, especially public life. Any attempt to introduce God into the picture is rejected and condemned as a religion against the state.

If this sounds familiar, then you should not be surprised, for our nation is being overrun by formal and practical atheists in all parts of government and public life. All of this is done under the disguises of tolerance, acceptance, approval, and neutrality.

How shall we then live?

"Blessed is the nation whose God is the Lord!" proclaims the Scripture. Though we surely defend liberty of conscience, we must never agree that an atheistic style of government whereby the Lord God is defamed and ridiculed is the pinnacle of good government. Rather we must explain how a worldview affects a society and then boldy defend why a system of government based on Biblical worldview prinicples is the best sytem of government in a fallen society. It is the only system within a fallen society that exercises restraint with liberty of conscience on the one hand while maintaining justice and order on the other.

No other worldview can accomplish such balance because they are all based on the whimsical philosophies of fallen man and thus have no absolute basis for Law. Governements based in human philosophy always result in the tyranny of one, an elite, or just mob rule.

If an atheocracy is what we desire, then we truly deserve all of the horrendous fruits that it bears. Exhibit A: Joseph Stalin. Any questions?

In the News: Budget Battle

Answers in Genesis had a good article on financial displine recently, and I thought it was worth echoing.

There has been much hub-bub of late dealing with the Federal Budget. A variety of proposals have been put forth with both sides arguing their respective cases. The vast majority of us will never sit in an earthly seat of political power, so what can the average Christian do besides cast a vote?

No matter what society a Christian lives in, basic fiscal principles still apply whether one is poor, average, or wealthy. The way in which one spends, saves, and/or borrows money reflects the secrets of the heart, and our credit card receipts have reflected ill upon us as indifvidual Christians and as a Church corporately. The borrower is a slave to the lender, and the American Church has become a slave to creditors just as bad as individual Christians. Casting off this gorillas takes discipline and a willingness to delay gratification, which is not easy. However, it bears much fruit when put in to practice both fiscally and evangelistically.

When Christians learn to manage their finances, outsiders start to take notice; this has happened in my own life as well as others. Over time, as more Believers live within their means, the louder the gospel cries out to a lost generation because our hearts are reflected in a more postive light as we use our resources to glorify God and not ourselves. In God's Providence, this kind of example in any area used by God to bring the lost to Himself. This inevitably changes a society, which is what happened in Europe on a myriad of fronts, yet where Christians live inconsistenty with Biblical prinicples the gospel recedes.

Therefore, let us encourage fiscal responsibility, and live out what we preach with our own dollars and cents.

To Him be the glory! Amen!

Sacrifice In Your Home

Though America is blessed more than every other country, we ought not to overlook the sacrifices that many Christians make to honor the Lord in a materialistic culture.

There are numerous families that could drive nicer cars, have larger homes, dine out more, vacation often, etc., yet they decide to honor the Lord by living a modest lifestyle. They do this to ensure that mom can stay at home to nurture the children and keep up the home.

Therefore, let us not forget the sacrifice that our wives make, and let us honor the families that exercise self-control to honor the Lord when the culture tempts them to be self-serving instead of self-sacrificing.

To Him be the glory! Amen!

Cheating and Government Education

In the wake of continued reports involving the Atlanta Public Education cheating scandal, it is important to aggressively point out a specific element of hypocrisy. Government based public education seeks to be religiously neutral, yet this is both absurd and deceptive because everything is bent towards a religious worldview.

For government education, its worldview is atheistic materialistic naturalism. Because this is its underlying presuppositional bias, we should not be surprised when cheating is so wide spread and then explained away. Naturalism has no grounds to denounce cheating because it always results in relativism. In the eyes of those teachers and administrators, cheating on standardized tests was a good thing because they defined good in their own eyes.

Furthermore, when exposed, guilt was not quickly admitted. On the contrary, they did as Adam and Eve; they blameshifted. The cry which has echoed throughout the area is that this cheating scandal was a result of too much emphasis on high standardized test scores. Therefore, cheating is only the tip of the ice-berg, for the denial that it was evil is even worse!

This obviously sends a strong message to students, namely those teachers who were students themselves at one time. They saw and understood this worldview that was shoved down their throats when they were younger and then lived it out a generation later. This is the multi-generational fruit of an atheistic based government education system.

Nevertheless, lest we sit and gloat in the fall of such decadence, many Christian schools (and Churches for that matter) aren't much better, for their respective standards, curriculum, and overall administrative practices virtually mirror that of government run education.

How shall we then live?

The solution is not to use Christ as a means to help morals along, for He shall not be used like an old dirty rag! He is the King of Glory! Amen!

Rather, Christians must understand the evils that pervade government run education, systematically take their children out of the public education system, and set them in an environment where a sound Biblical worldview is cultivated and extolled. This can either take place via home school (my preference) or a Christian School that uncompromisingly abides in a thoroughly orthodox Christian worldview in both doctrine and practice.

What then of the public univeristies?

If a Christian is rightly trained from a young age to bind himself to the Lord of Hosts and discern worldivews, he will be like Daniel and not abandon the faith. Instead, his mature mind will know how to throw out the bad (ie atheism) and keep the good (ie learning the practicals of accounting, law, medicine, calculus, etc.). There is a difference between throwing a mature believer in the lion's den or into the fiery furnace and a small child. We send our children into the lion's den totally unprepared for life and are then surprised when they are devoured by atheists.

To Him be the glory alone! Amen!

The Christian Life: The Promise of Hardship

The Christian Life is one of Promised Hardship and not ease. For this reason, the health and wealth gospel is an assault on the gospel itself, and it should receive direct and regular condemnation in the same way that the Fathers battled the Gnostics, Arians, etc.

It is true that living according to Biblical principles reduces financial stress and surely builds up the family. However, Christ does not ensure us a long life without affliction, persecution, and physical pain associated with a fallen world. It is a great tragedy when those who have severe chronic pain and/or paralyzing conditions are deceived into thinking that they lack the faith needed to be healed. This is heresy, for Our Lord Himself and most of the Apostles died humiliatingly painful deaths.

Therefore, let us be slow to judge those who endure hardship. Rather, let us pray for God's grace to heal and restore according to His will, and let us pray for the grace to endure when God ordains hardship to continue. Ultimately, this life is a preparation for the next, so suffering unto the glory of God is not in vain.

To Him be the glory! Amen!

Scripture and Tradition

Today we consider Church Tradition as a body of teaching and rites solely derived from man, so we tend to think little of Tradition in in light of the testimony of Sola Scripture. However, the early Church placed a high value on both Scripture and Tradition, though Tradition was never the usurpation of Scripture. Tradition was understood as the concise body of doctrine which came from Christ to the Apostles and finally to the Fathers successively. This, in turn, was critical in binding the faith and refuting heretics. Tradition had to conform to Scripture, but early formulated Traditional Doctrines were used as evidence to crush the deceptive interpretations of Scripture by dangerous groups like the Gnostics.

Taken out of Early Christian Doctrines, J.N.D. Kelly (page 31 1978 revised edition) quotes Athanasius in defining Tradition as it was understood early on. Kelly writes, "The ancient meaning of the term is well illustrated by Athanasius's reference to 'the actual original tradition, teaching and faith of the Catholic Church, which the Lord bestowed, the apostles proclaimed, and the fathers safeguarded'." As a side note, Catholic Church is not a reference to Rome here but rather the Church as a whole.

Therefore, we concur with the early Fathers that Tradition is not something to be tossed aside, for it helps us grasp the early teachings of the Church as bestowed by Christ and proclaimed by the Apostles. We use such Doctrinal Traditions to rightly interpret the Scriptures, yet, with that being said, there are doctrines that have been introduced over time with little explicit or implicit Scriptural warrant. These are are certainly worth debating, of which some may or may not have sbustantive support. For this reason, the analogy of faith (Scripture intereprets Scripture) is critcal in formulating right Doctrine.

Authorship of Isaiah

The authorship of Isaiah has been attacked in the modern era with great veracity. However, the reasons for this are unfounded because of an anti-presuppositional bias against prophetic supernaturalism. If one presupposes a materialistic worldview, then one must attempt to reinterpret Isaiah and give it a later date.

To begin with, the Masoretic (Hebrew Old Testament) was questioned for years by materialists, yet the finding of the great Isaiah scroll in the Dead Sea area collapsed the dating of the text just over a thousand years! The Word of God is always vindicated because it is the Word of God.

Even so, the date of Isaiah is still questioned, especially in light of the Cyrus prophecy that occurred many years before Cyrus was born and before the Persian Empire rose to such great heights of power. However, the text nor the evidence warrants against an early date for Isaiah. Rather, it is a defective pressupositional bias that forces these convoluted interpretations.

I reccomend Motyer's Commentary on Isaiah for further study.

To God be the glory! Amen!

The Bible, Law, and the Constitution of the Unites States

Though many detest the Bible, it is the only true source for Absolute Law because it is inspired by God. Apart from the Bible, man is left with vastly different and absurd human philosophies that grope in the wind for a basis of law. Though we do not and should not advocate a theocracy this side of the Cross, the Bible does provide us with key principles that establish and uphold justice within a fallen society.

It is from Biblical principles that the Constitution of the United States is derived, yet, apart from self-regulation, this Constitution is not sustainable, which is something the Founders were quick to point out. This has become especially evident in our present post-modern decadent society. Likewise, because those who oppose the Constitution in favor of relativistic law tend to be anti-Christian, they are inevitably drawn to detest it.

Atlanta Public Schools Cheating Scandal

An investigation has shown that widespread cheating on standardized tests has occurred within the Atlanta Public Education system for the past decade or so. Not only is this exhibit A for why dumping gobs of cash into public education is futile, but it is also a testament to the depravity of our day. In stead of confession, there appears to be immediate justification! How godless!

I have heard over and over again this morning on talk radio of reports where numerous people are sympathetic to this cheating scandal. Instead of condemning it, it has simply become the result of pressure upon the system to produce higher test scores. There you go folks! The means have justified the ends, and we should all hold hands and gloss over this systematic widespread government run cheating scandal!