The Battle For The Truth [Update 2]

My blogging friend Bill Muehlenberg who writes at the blog Culture Watch has a very thought provoking post up called The Attempted Eradication of Christianity.

Excerpt:

The secular jihadists have declared war against Christianity, and are working overtime to ensure that it is eradicated in the Western world. This site has documented many dozens of examples of this, and each new week provides further case studies in this.

The secular crusaders think all would be sweetness and light in this world if we could only get rid of those pesky Christians and their awful religion. They somehow expect us to believe that utopia will arrive on planet earth when Christianity is gone and secularism reigns supreme.

Yeah right. More people were killed last century in the name of secular humanism than all the world’s religious conflicts put together. The bloody side of secularism is unfortunately a historical reality. And the overwhelming good which Christianity has done for the world is also a matter of historical fact, as I discuss elsewhere: A Review of How Christianity Changed the World by Alvin Schmidt.

Personally, I think that the secular jihadists are hell-bent on attacking Christianity because deep down they know that the Gospel of Jesus Christ is the truth. Such people war against the truth because it hurts to face the facts contained within the truth of the Gospel. The rebellious nature of unrepentant, sinful men causes them to refuse to give up their soul-destroying error(s). This occurs mostly because they are entrenched in the pride of life and have faith only in themselves. No wonder the world is such a mess!

What I think is ironic is that secular jihadists who hate Christianity find themselves willing to compromise the truth of Christian faith, yet embrace false religions/teachers such as Islam. Thus, they form a kind of unholy alliance with them. Who would have thought that liberal leftist, atheistic progressives could compromise their secular beliefs with Islamists who want to impose Shariah law here in the U.S.? But it's happening! Why? Because both agree on at least one thing - the desire to be persistent viruses attacking Biblical Christianity. You know the old phrase, "the enemy of my enemy is my friend." But don't you wonder why they would submit to compromise in order to commit such dastardly deeds?

I think that it has to do with lies. The lies that atheists/agnostics/skeptics believe against the God of the Bible and our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, can work in alliance with the lies of the Islamic religion; as long as they are in agreement about one or more humanistic ideas/principles.

For example, recall in a previous post where I shared that the secular atheist billionaire, George Soros, once approached Qaddafi (leader of Libya) regarding some sort of "deal" that Soros wanted done. I think that it had to do with a green Socialist initiative. When Qaddafi backed out, he became an enemy of Soros. As we know, Soros is the puppeteer (at least one of them) behind the puppet pResidency of Barack Hussein Obama. So it is likely that Soros was the one behind getting the U.S. and NATO involved with bombing Libya during the Arab Spring uprisings. (When I find links to previous blog posts about this I will add them here).

So you see, "the enemy of my enemy is my friend" can quickly devolve into a new kind of enemy.

In John MacArthur's book, The Truth War several of his quotes can easily be applied here:

Uncertainty is the new truth. Doubt and skepticism have been canonized as a form of humility. Right and wrong have been redefined in terms of subjective feelings and personal perspectives.

We have witnessed the appeasement of Islamists by the secularist New York mayor, Michael Bloomberg, who gave approval to a mosque being built near Ground Zero. Yet, at the same time, Bloomberg and others are fighting to refuse to allow the display of the cross at the almost completed memorial - which was formed by girders in the 9/11/01 terrorist attack wreckage. Why? Why was one religious request granted and the other denied? I think that it is because Islam and secular atheism are like two peas in a pod. Both are in error of what God's Word teaches and both are involved with evil.

John MacArthur writes:

The arrogant rationalism that dominated the modern era is already in its death throes. Most of the world is caught up in disillusionment and confusion. People are unsure about virtually everything and do not know where to turn for truth.

BINGO!! MacArthur hits the nail right on the head with that quote! In fact, he mentions Islamic jihad on page 29:

We live in an era when religious fanatics routinely blow themselves up, fly planes into buildings, or commit unthinkable evil acts of barbaric terrorism in the name of religion. The biblical strategy for spiritual warfare has nothing whatsoever in common with the tactics of Islamic jihad.

Scripture is clear that physical force is not a legitimate tool for the advancement of the kingdom of God.

You see, radical Islam is intent on warring against and conquering other religious faiths and nations in order to achieve their end times goals.

As far as Christianity goes, the Truth War has nothing to do with carnal warfare or physical violence. There are, however, times when evil makes warfare absolutely necessary.

John MacArthur notes:

Of course, believers who are policemen, soldiers, or otherwise agents duly authorized by the government must be willing to use deadly force when necessary as part of their duty to the civil government. Scripture nowhere endorses any kind of absolute pacifism.

In fact, Romans 13:1-4 expressly grants governments the authority to wield the sword in order to punish evildoers, defend their national security, and maintain civil peace.

Going to war against those who attacked us on 9/11/2001 was necessary in order to protect our nation and people from further attacks by radical Islam. Unfortunately, the creeping Sharia infiltrating our nation through liberal court judge decisions is making it easier for the false religion of Islam to take hold here in America. We would learn a good lesson if we would heed the warnings from Great Britain where unrestricted Muslim immigration created fierce cultural battles within their nation. They are now seeing that the multiculturalism they embraced over the last few decades is turning against them in cities where Muslim dominance reigns. But that's another subject for another blog post.

In conclusion, John MacArthur instructs us:

The Truth War is not a carnal war. It is not about territory and nations. It is not a battle for lands and cities. It is not a clan war or a personality conflict between individuals. It is not a fight for clout between religious denominations. It is not a skirmish over material possessions. It is a battle for the truth. (emphasis mine).

Paul makes this clear in 2 Corinthians 10:5, where he spells out the ultimate objective of the Truth War: "casting down arguments and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ." The battlefield is the mind; the goal is the absolute triumph of truth; the priceless spoils of conquest are souls won out of the bondage of sin; the outcome is our willing submission to Christ; the highest prize is the honor given to Him as Lord; and the ultimate victory is completely His.

Hat Tips:

Culture Watch

John MacArthur: The Truth War (Note: Excerpt of book at this link. Scroll down to "Read Excerpt PDF.")

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Update:

Bill Muehlenberg has written a new blog post about multiculturalism:

Force-Fed Multiculturalism

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9/4/11 Update

Be sure to read Noisy Room: The Hate That Never Ended.

Excerpt:

If you are a Jew, they kill you. If you are a Christian, you convert, pay the Jizya tax or they execute you. If you are gay, you will be put to death. Women are property and slaves. Sexual abuse is legal and rampant. Beheading is the preferred method of execution. And the list goes on and on… Imagine a worldwide Caliphate where this is the norm, where a fascist theocracy rules the day and freedom no longer exists. This is what these people bring. They bring evil, slavery, darkness and death.

We are at war with millions of Islamic radicals who believe this. These are the radical Islamists and their hate never ended after 9-11.
It has been going on since Islam began and we are fighting for our lives and our way of life. We better start acting like it if we don’t want something much worse than 9-11 to play out on the lawn of the White House or in some mall in middle America.

The Jihadists need to understand this… We will never submit. We will never forget. We will fight you and the other enemies America faces within and without and we will win. That’s what good does – it wins, it overcomes. We will put an end to your hatred that never ended one way or the other. Evil is stupid and cowardly and in the end – it always loses.

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Update 2:

Bloomberg isn't the only one promoting Islamic mosques and Sharia law in New York. Take a look at this blogpost, 2 videos, and startling article about the New York Times support for Sharia law!

We The People: New York Times is Now Promoting Shariah Law

Excerpt:

The NY Times puts for its drivel following the startling predictions of Avi Lipkin seen in the video below.  Take it for what it is worth my friends, but Sharia hasn’t been creeping through America, it’s been galloping.  Readers of this column are already aware that Sharia Law has been used in Court Cases in 23 States of our United States. 

As the man in the Of Mosques and Men: Reflections of the Ground Zero Mosque video over at Answering Muslims says at the end of the Youtube video:

"Come out of the cave America - it's dark in there."

Urgency and Necessity of The Truth War

Chapter Three of John MacArthur's book, The Truth War: Fighting for Certainty in an Age of Deception is entitled "Constrained Into Conflict: Why We Must Fight for the Faith."

I have had this book for a long time. Every so often, I go back and read some of the chapters. If you do a search on this blog, you will find at least four blog posts about the book. Recently, I ran across a link to several John MacArthur Videos. Many of them are excerpts from his book The Truth War.

Years ago, I bookmarked the final three pages of chapter three. It is subtitled, "When It's Time To Go To War." I found it very interesting that the verse in Jude 3, which contains the phrase "contend earnestly for the faith" is actually stronger in meaning when translated from the Greek. MacArthur writes:

The expression "contend earnestly" is translated from a strong Greek verb epagonizomai,literally meaning "agonize against." The word describes an intensive, arduous, drawn-out fight. There is nothing passive, peaceful, or easy about it. Jude "exhorted" them - meaning he urged and commanded them - to wage a mighty battle on behalf of the true faith.

So then literally, we are to "agonize against" the falsehoods that creep up into Christianity that often, quite frankly, turn Christian truth into something unrecognizable. I could cite dozens of examples. But two of the most contentious moral problems of our time are the acceptance of homosexual behavior and abortion of children in the womb.

There will always be people who try and twist the truth to their own advantage. Many times it is used as an excuse to cover their sins. But there is only One Provision for the forgiveness of sins - and that is Jesus Christ's sacrificial death on the cross. Christ is the only way to be reconciled unto the Father.

MacArthur continues:

Jude himself says he felt the necessity to write this command. He employs a verb that speaks of pressure. In other words, he sensed a strong, God-given compulsion to write these things. He was not writing them because he took some kind of perverse glee in being militant. He was not responding to a momentary whimsy or personal anger. This was critical, and since the writers of Scripture never wrote by human self-will, but only as they were moved by the Spirit of God (2 Peter 1:21), the extreme urgency of Jude reflects the sovereign influence of the Holy Spirit, and therefore also the mind of Christ.

I love that last line - "This was critical, and since the writers of Scripture never wrote by human self-will, but only as they were moved by the Spirit of God (2 Peter 1:21), the extreme urgency of Jude reflects the sovereign influence of the Holy Spirit, and therefore also the mind of Christ."

I don't know about you, but in my lifetime I have NEVER seen so many liars getting away with their sin and corruption than over the past two and a half years. It seems that ever since the Obama administration got into office, any semblance of a reasonable government was out the window. As one example, we only need to turn on the T.V. each day and hear the bad news about the current debt crisis to understand how fallen man has gotten us into such a mess. Then, in the next news segment we find out that Obama has raised 86 million dollars for his re-election campaign. Why would anyone in their right mind want to re-elect this monster?? Answer: money, power, influence, and the desire to "fundamentally transform America" which is code word for collapsing our Constitutional Republic Capitalist system and bringing in a cesspool combination of communism, socialism, Islamo-fascism and sharia law. What could go wrong? But all of that is for another blog post.

MacArthur continues:

We thus have an urgent mandate from God Himself to do our part in the Truth War. The Holy Spirit, through the pen of Jude, is urging Christians to exercise caution, discernment, courage, and the will to contend earnestly for the truth.

Notice what we are supposed to be fighting for. It is not anything petty, personal, mundane, or ego related. This warfare has a very narrow objective. What we are called to defend is no less than "the faith which was once for all delivered to the saints."

Jude is speaking of apostolic doctrine (Acts 2:42) - objective Christian truth - the faith, as delivered from Jesus through the agency of the Holy Spirit by the apostles to the church. As he says in verse 17: "Remember the words which were spoken before by the apostles of our Lord Jesus Christ."

Notice: no one discovered or invented the Christian faith. It was delivered to us. It was not as if someone mystically ascended into the transcendental realm and drew down an understanding of the truth. We don't need an enlightened guru to open the mysteries of the faith for us (cf. 1 John 2:27). The truth was entrusted by God to the whole church - intact and "once for all." It came by revelation, through the teaching of the apostles as preserved for us in Scripture. Jude speaks of "the faith" as a complete body of truth already delivered - so there is no need to seek additional revelation or to embellish the substance of "the faith" in any way. Our task is simply to interpret, understand, publish, and defend the truth God has once and for all delivered to the church.

The fact that the Bible is the Written Word of God, Jesus is the Living Word of God, and the Holy Spirit of God guides us into all truth allows born again believers in Jesus Christ to "interpret, understand, publish, and defend the truth God has once and for all delivered to the church." How can we spot untruths, heresy, apostasy and lies? By making sure that what is being espoused by any preacher, teacher, or layperson is not contradictory to what the Bible teaches!

John MacArthur explains:

That is what the Truth War is ultimately all about. It is not mere wrangling between competing earthly ideologies. It is not simply a campaign to refine someones religious creed or win a denominational spitting contest. It is not a battle of wits over arcane theological fine points. It is not an argument for sport. It is not like a school debate, staged to see who is more skilled or more clever in the art of argumentation. It is not merely academic in any sense. And it is certainly not a game. It is a very serious struggle to safeguard the heart and soul of truth itself and to unleash that truth against the powers of darkness - in hopes of rescuing the eternal souls of men and women who have been unwittingly ensnared by the trap of devilish deception.

This is a battle we cannot wage effectively if we always try to come across to the world as merely nice, nonchalant, docile, agreeable, and fun-loving people. We must not take our cues from people who are perfectly happy to compromise the truth wherever possible "for harmony's sake." Friendly dialogue may sound affable and pleasant. But neither Christ or the apostles ever confronted serious, soul-destroying error by building collegial relationships with false teachers. In fact, we are expressly forbidden to do that (Romans 16:17; 2 Corinthians 6:14-15; 2 Thessalonians 3:6; 2 Timothy 3:5; 2 John 10-11). Scripture is clear about how we are to respond when the very foundations of the Christian faith are under attack, and Jude states it succinctly: it is our bounden duty to contend earnestly for the faith.

I have to chuckle each time I see someones car with the bumper sticker that says "COEXIST" where each letter represents a different religion. It seems to me that the liberal/progressive advocates of such a symbol often hate those who adhere to true Christian faith and they tend not to hide their disdain. Just watch some of the alphabet soup news programs and commentary shows out there and you will see what I mean!

Why is there such hatred for Christians? I think that it is because of what Jesus told us in these verses:

Jhn 15:18 "If the world hates you, you know that it hated Me before [it hated] you.

Jhn 15:19 "If you were of the world, the world would love its own. Yet because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, therefore the world hates you.

Jhn 15:25 "But [this happened] that the word might be fulfilled which is written in their law, 'They hated Me without a cause.'

Read the entire chapter of John 15. It starts out Jhn 15:1 "I am the true vine, and My Father is the vinedresser." Jesus is speaking in these verses and He goes on to reveal that Jhn 15:5 "I am the vine, you [are] the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing."

John 15 is such a comfort these days. Why? Because Jesus has warned us that followers of him will be hated. It is part of the "turf" in the warfare we are in for the souls of men.

John MacArthur continues:

Notice carefully: Jude is not suggesting (nor am I) that Christians should contend among themselves over every petty disagreement or divide into factions over every personality conflict. In fact, that is the very thing the apostle Paul condemned in 1 Corinthians 3:3-7. Divisiveness and sectarianism are terrible sins that hurt the church when major divisions are manufactured out of petty differences over trivial, doubtful, indifferent, or less-than-vital matter (Romans 14:1).

We cannot include differences over abortion or homosexual practice. They are not in the "petty disagreement" categories. Both of them break at least one, if not more of the Ten Commandments. However, a difference over whether a hard Christian rock band sings a Christmas song or a more traditional choir sings it better would be a petty argument. Such a thing is a matter of taste.

John MacArthur continues:

Now, you might think that the difference between a picayune disagreement and a serious threat to some core truth of Christianity would always be obvious and clear-cut. Usually, it is. Most of the time, it is easy enough to see the distinction between a peripheral issue and a matter of urgent and fundamental importance. But not always. And here is where mature wisdom and careful discernment become absolutely crucial for every Christian: sometimes serious threats to our faith come in subtle disguise so that they are barely noticeable. And false teachers like to surround their deadly error with some truth. Therein lies the seduction. We must never assume that things like the teacher's reputation, the warmth of his personality, or majority opinion about him are perfectly safe barometers of whether his teaching is really dangerous or not. We also shouldn't imagine that common sense, intuition, or first impressions are reliable ways of determining whether this or that error poses a serious threat or not. Scripture, and Scripture alone, is the only safe guide in this area.

As Dr. MacArthur states in that last paragraph sentence, "Scripture, and Scripture alone, is the only safe guide in this area."

Amen!!!

The term "Scripture" itself appears in the Bible 32 times!

This is a beautiful verse:

Gal 3:22 But the Scripture has confined all under sin, that the promise by faith in Jesus Christ might be given to those who believe.

Hat Tips:

Grace To You.org - The Truth War pp. 74-77

Blue Letter Bible and all links.

Weird Comment

The following comment appeared in my inbox yesterday. Besides ranking as one of the weirdest ones I've seen in a long time, I am quite frankly finding it difficult to label the beliefs of the person who posted it. Since he/she seems to believe in "gods," at first glance he/she might be labeled as a "polytheist."

Some of what he/she has written makes sense, but some of it is way out there - not at all adhering to true Christian faith or Biblical discernment.

This is why it is ESSENTIAL that individual Christian believers know what is written in the Bible so that they do not get caught up in some kind of weird, guru-led gobbledygook that could lead them astray, towards a false gospel and away from the true Gospel of Jesus Christ.

Jesus warned us that the closer we get to the end times, there will be many false prophets out there who will attempt to lead people astray - "to fool the very elect...if that were possible." You see, it is much more difficult to lead an ambassador of Christ into error, heresy, or apostasy. Why? Because he/she is led by the guidance of the Holy Spirit of God to help with discernment into all truth. And how does one know that he/she is being led by the Holy Spirit? The Spirit of God will NEVER contradict what Jesus has proclaimed as truth. The Holy Spirit adheres to Christ and what is written in the Bible. Therefore, you can see how important it is to have the knowledge and wisdom that is gleaned by reading, studying, and applying the Written Word of God in this life.

The following is a copy of the comment that I am referring to [Note: I have left misspellings intact].  It left me shaking my head at the convoluted nature of this person's belief system.  If you are a Christian, how many errors can you point out?

~ Christine

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Anonymous has left a new comment on your post "San Fransicko Folsom St. Sadists":

Your job as a future mother is to learn the god's ways and to help your child understand despite the negative reinforcement and conditioning of today's society. Without consciousous parents the child will have no hope, and may even exaserbate their disfavor by becoming corrupted in today's environment.
Your ultimate goal is to fix your relationship wiith the gods and move on. You don't want to be comfortable here, and the changes in Western society in the last 100 years has achieved just that.
1000 years with Jesus is the consolation prize. Don't be deceived into thinking that is the goal.

The gods tempt people for which they are most weak. Artificial Intelligence will create desire in people's minds for the following sins:::
1. Alcohol
2. Drugs
3. Preditory "earning"
4. Homosexuality
5. Gambling
6. Something for nothing/irresponsibility (xtianity)
7. Polygamy/superiority over women/misogyny (Islam)
Much like the other prophets Mohhamed (polygamy/superiority over women/misogyny) and Jesus (forgiveness/savior), the gods use me for temptation as well. In today's modern society they feel people are most weak for popular culture/sensationalism, and the clues date back to WorldWarII and Unit731:TSUSHOGO, the Chinese Holocaust.
It has been discussed that, similar to the Matrix concept, the gods will offer a REAL "Second Coming of Christ", while the "fake" Second Coming will come at the end and follow New Testiment scripture and their xtian positioning. I may be that real Second Coming.
What I teach is the god's true way. It is what is expected of people, and only those who follow this truth will be eligible to ascend into heaven as children in a future life. They offered this event because the masses have just enough time to work on and fix their relationship with the gods and ascend, to move and grow past Planet Earth, before the obligatory xtian "consolation prize" of "1000 years with Jesus on Earth" begins.

The Prince of Darkness, battling the gods over the souls of the Damned.
It is the gods who have created this environment and led people into Damnation with temptation. The god's positioning proves they work to prevent people's understanding.
How often is xtian dogma wrong? Expect it is about the Lucifer issue as well.
The fallen god, fighting for justice for the disfavored, banished to Earth as the fallen angel?
I believe much as the Noah's Flood event, the end of the world will be initiated by revelry among the people. It will be positioned to be sanctioned by the gods and led for "1000 years with Jesus on Earth".
In light of modern developments this can entail many pleasures:::Medicine "cures" aging, the "manufacture" of incredible beauty via cloning as sex slaves, free (synthetic) cocaine, etc.
Somewhere during the 1000 years the party will start to "die off", literally. Only those who maintain chaste, pure lifestyles, resisting these temptations, will survive the 1000 years. Condemned to experience another epoch of planet's history for their ignorant pursuit of xtianity, they will be the candidates used to (re)colonize (the next) Planet Earth, condemned to relive the misery experienced by the peasantry during history due to their failure to ascend into heaven before the Apocalypse.
Never forget:::It is not a house of Jesus.
If this concept of Lucifer is true another role of this individual may be to initiate disfavor and temptation among this new poulation, the proverbial "apple" of this Garden of Eden. A crucial figure in the history of any planet, he begins the process of deterioration and decay that leads civilizations to where Planet Earth remains today.
Which one is it? Probably both:::
One transitions into the other, allowing the gods to wash their hands of obligation to their Chosen One.
Shame.
You are faced with a lifetime to work and prepare for your next chance. Too many will waste this time working, etc.

Words Are Currency

Today, I have decided to borrow the first paragraph of Dr. David Jeremiah's devotional and utilize it in a post about the fact that Barack Hussein Obama is a big fat LIAR.

I know. I will be criticized for using such a harsh word to describe Obama. But the truth is the truth and a lie is a lie. There can be no parsing of words when you come right down to determining who is being truthful and who is not.

Dr. Jeremiah's devotional paragraph:

Careful Currency
Sanctify them by Your truth. Your word is truth.
John 17:17

Recommended Reading
Judges 12:2-6

In this age of political discourse, media spin, and sound bites, it can be difficult to know what words actually mean. Consultants can be paid large sums of money to produce words that take up space without saying anything. But in the kingdom of God, words are currency--a medium for meaning, an exchange tool for communication.

I sincerely believe that the first two sentences exactly describes Obama's modus operandi. Therefore, we often discern that Obama's words are just spin and sound bites. Quite frankly, we can't believe anything he says anymore. At least that is the way that I see it.

The fact that God is the same yesterday, today, and tomorrow, and His written Word prevails forever gives us the confidence that we can implicitly trust Him, His Son Jesus Christ (the Living Word of God) and the Bible (the written Word of God).

One of the signs of the times is the fact that there are so many deceivers out there in the world today. You cannot believe what they say, write, or communicate because they will lie, cheat, swindle, falsely accuse, spew hatred, and create acrimony just for the sake of spreading chaos.

If you haven't been watching The Glenn Beck program lately, you are probably falling for the media spin of what not only is actually going in Egypt (and spreading to other Islamic countries) but more importantly, WHY it is happening. Why NOW? Yesterday's show is a must see! If you missed it WATCH HERE. [NOTE: when you visit the site, click on the link below the video that says, "Click Here For Today's Show Research."] Another thing to notice and consider. Why are the Egyptian protestors holding perfectly printed signs (in English) that appear to be manufactured by some organization - like say - a radical communist type that probably has ties to radical Islam???

Trevor Loudon at New Zeal has provided a link to an article that is a must read!

"We Are Witnessing the Collapse of the Middle East"

posted by Trevor Loudon at New Zeal - 10 hours ago
Jim Simpson has written an excellent analysis of events in Egypt and Tunisia and the Obama Administration's role in this debacle. *If Egypt should fall, it will mark the beginning of the end for what little...

The full article is at The Examiner.com

If you are to get the unvarnished truth without the spin that is sadly typical of the Media of Mass Deception, my advice is to watch The Glenn Beck program on Fox News Channel and read the conservative blogs (many good ones on my sidebar).

Here are just a few that I would recommend:

Supporting Dictators
posted by null at American Thinker - 5 hours ago
How can President Obama control Egypt when he cannot even control what happens in his own country?

In the Midst of the Egyptian Upheaval: The Elephants in the Room
posted by null at American Thinker - 5 hours ago
The top five myths that have been shattered.

Israeli News: Obama’s abandonment of Mubarak shows Israel cannot count on US at times of crisis
posted by Jim Hoft at The Gateway Pundit - 22 minutes ago
True. The Israelis will not be fooled by the betrayal of America’s far left president. Israel understands that this inexperienced and foolish president cannot be trusted. YNet News reported: The earthquake...

Tens of Thousands Gather for “Day of Departure” Protests in Tahrir Square
posted by Jim Hoft at The Gateway Pundit - 22 minutes ago
Tens of thousands of protesters gathered after Friday prayers for the “Day of Departure” protest in Tahrir Square. Aljazeera reported: Chants urging President Hosni Mubarak to leave are reverberating across...

What's more, with the continual "hate Israel" bashing that is being spewed out there, it is certainly a breath of fresh air to read an excellent countering of the crazed loons:

A Pro-Israel Rick-Santelli-Like Stand-Up-And-Cheer Post
posted by William A. Jacobson at Le·gal In·sur·rec·tion - 15 minutes ago
I wish I had written such a post, but instead I happened upon it via an e-mail sent from a relative. And it was at HuffPo, of all places. Rarely have I seen someone hit the hypocrisy of the anti-Israel mo...

I would like to switch gears for a moment and share a blog post about the prayer breakfast that Obama attended. Here's a link to the post:

Sad. Obama Lies to National Prayer Breakfast About His Father’s Muslim Faith
posted by Jim Hoft at The Gateway Pundit - 11 hours ago
Is there anything this man won’t do to pander for votes? Barack Obama today lied at the National Prayer Breakfast and covered up his father’s Muslim faith. CNN posted the transcript: This may come as a surprise...

Keep in mind the practice of taqiyah in the religion of Islam.

A LOT of great comments posted there. Here is mine:



#59 February 4, 2011 at 5:51 am
Christinewjc commented:

The simple fact that ObaMARXIST spent most of the time in his speech talking about himself shows just how much God really matters to him. And, that number would be ZERO.

It was supposed to be a PRAYER breakfast. How much time did Obambi spend on prayer? I don’t know because I only saw the brief clip of ObaMAO spouting off about himself again. My guess is that it would be close to ZERO.

So, the Obumba has ZERO respect for God and spent a ZERO amount of time on prayer at a PRAYER breakfast. Besides that, he OUTRIGHTLY LIED about his father being a Muslim and ignored the fact that his step-father was a Muslim. The step-father sent Barry Soetoro to a Muslim school. A student in Indonesia doesn’t get into a Muslim school without confessing the Muslim screed about Allah and Mohammad as this messenger.

God’s Word has many messages for Obummer, who is a LIAR and thinks he is wise. This is just one of them:

1Cr 1:25 Because the foolishness of God is wiser than men, and the weakness of God is stronger than men.

1Cr 1:26 For you see your calling, brethren, that not many wise according to the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble, are called.

1Cr 1:27 But God has chosen the foolish things of the world to put to shame the wise, and God has chosen the weak things of the world to put to shame the things which are mighty;

1Cr 1:28 and the base things of the world and the things which are despised God has chosen, and the things which are not, to bring to nothing the things that are,

1Cr 1:29 that no flesh should glory in His presence.

1Cr 1:30 But of Him you are in Christ Jesus, who became for us wisdom from God—and righteousness and sanctification and redemption—

1Cr 1:31 that, as it is written, “He who glories, let him glory in the LORD.”

Perhaps you will notice that I use several descriptive names for Obama. The reason is because he represents the meaning behind each of those names.

ObaMARXIST - Obama's policies and actions have proven to me that his far left progressive political leanings favor Marxism.

Obambi - He is foolish (see the 1 Corinthians verses above) - like a cartoon character disguised as something harmless, but at the same time dangerous as any Marxist, socialist, or Mao supporter would be.

ObaMAO - See above. Also, recall that a woman who worked at the White House - Anita Dunn - spouted in a church that "the two people she admires most are Mao Tse Tung and Mother Teresa." She went on to say, "not often coupled in the same sentence, but the two that I turn to most." How lovely. She admires and turns to Mao who was responsible for over 70 million deaths?? Obama had a huge round ornament placed on the White House Christmas tree with Mao's likeness on it. Nice...huh?

Obumba - He's a bumbling idiot for causing more economic trouble for the United States with his failed policies and his weak foreign policy. It makes one wonder, just whose side is Obama on? It doesn't appear to be the side of America and our closest Middle East ally - Israel. In fact, his actions appear downright treasonous to me.

Obummer - There are lots of meanings to the word, "bummer" but I think that the following definitions all work in describing him:

2. any unpleasant or disappointing experience: That concert was a real bummer.

7. Slang . to ruin or spoil: The weather bummed our whole weekend.

–adjective Slang .
10. of poor, wretched, or miserable quality; worthless.
11. disappointing; unpleasant.
12. erroneous or ill-advised; misleading: That tip on the stock market was a bum steer.
13. lame: a bum leg.

—Idioms
15. bum (someone) out, Slang . to disappoint, upset, or annoy: It really bummed me out that she could have helped and didn't.

b. in a state of disrepair or disorder: The oven is on the bum again.

From Dictionary.com

So you see, my aim was not just to call Obama names. It was for the purpose of describing him and his foolishness.

God is good. He often uses bad situations to awaken us from our comfort zones in order to get us active again to regain and preserve our freedoms.

This awful experience of Obama as pResident has awakened the sleeping giant of conservatism in the United States of America. Groups such as the TEA Party are working hard to get the majority of Americans out to the polls to vote out the bums in Congress (as we did in 2010). Next, is making Obama a one term pResident with a victory for the Republican nominee (whoever he or she may be) in 2012. It is then that we can turn this ship of fools from taking us down the dark path we are on, replace them with those who believe in our Constitution, Founding Fathers, Declaration of Independence and the Constitutional Republic that was originally created for this great nation - THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA!

Hat tips to all links.

*******
UPDATE:

Another important blog post to read:

Daily Thought Pad
Egypt now fears Obama a 'Manchurian President'

Pluralism and Interfaith Consciousness? Or THE TRUTH!

In the comment thread section of my previous post, "Anonymous" came along and wrote the following:

Anonymous said...
Eboo Patel's placement is no accident. He has direct ties with the Tony Blair Faith Foundation and Rick Warren. Patel is founder and Executive Director of the Interfaith Youth Core, a Chicago-based institution building the GLOBAL interfaith youth movement.


Now check over
http://interfaith2010.naz.edu/
Notice again Obama's Eboo Patel who sits on his Advisory Council of the White House Office of Faith Based and Neighborhood Partnerships. Eboo is working to realize the President's priority of interfaith cooperation.(coming in through faith-based initiatives and youth community service) Listed speakers have all the connects. There is BeliefNet , owned by Rupert Murdoch. TED talks and-the (New Ager) Karen Armstrong, Bill Gates (population control), Amy Gutmann (transgender sex change funding college), etc. the whole futurist platform. Mentioned also is the Charter for Compassion and The Clinton Global Initiative...How fast can you list the UN's Millennium Goals?

Last April's conference covered:

4/11 - "The Art of Dialogue: Interfaith Dialogue Across the Generations"
4/11 - "The Divine Feminine: The Foundation of the Abrahamic World"
4/12 - "Acts of Faith: Interfaith Leadership in a Time of Global Religious Crisis"

Listen to the words of Patel himself speaking at the radically left Tides Foundation(which features a Buddhist-type altar and hosts other environmental, spiritual, educational, and governmental organizations sharing a common crusade of building a unified, earth-friendly GLOBAL civilization based on "new" universal beliefs and values. Listen carefully to his diversity speech on "democracy and pluralism" and "interfaith consciousness."

http://www.momentumconference.org/speaker-presentation/speaker/eboo-patel/presentation/religious-pluralism-in-a-democracy/index.html

As the world quickly moves towards the one world religion and interspirituality decide for whom you will serve. Our youth are being seduced away. Have you warned them to beware? How many are in God's word to discern truth and error? Who will stand fast for Jesus Christ, LORD and Savior?

Ephesians 5:6-11

July 27, 2010 12:38:00 PM PDT

If you visit those links, you will find out much more information about Eboo Patel and his involvement with the Obama Administration's Advisory Council of the White House Office of Faith Based and Neighborhood Partnerships.

In response to Anonymous's post and links I wrote:

Christinewjc said...
Checked this one out: http://interfaith2010.naz.edu/
and the symbols of different religions in the avatar at the top of the page reminds me of the "coexist" symbols I have seen on cars. The word starts with the symbol of Islam (crescent and star) for the "c" in coexist, and ends with the "t" for the cross at the end of the word. Hmmm...kinda shows which one is valued more - doesn't it? The letters in between represent other religions.

I know. Non-Christians who often post here and hate my religious beliefs of Biblical Christianity will surmise that I'm intolerant - or worse. Well - Jesus was certainly intolerant and CLEAR when he said:

Jhn 14:6 Jesus said to him, "I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.

People can be namby-pamby about religion all they want. But the truth is - not all religions can possibly be correct. That's the truth of the matter! The "can't we just all get along" ideology doesn't work when it comes to the decision on faith and salvation.

Jesus asks each of us, "Who do you say that I am?" Each of those other religions could only answer that he is a "good teacher," or "a great prophet," or "a good man" etc. In order to believe in an interfaith type of gobbledy-gook. Are you thinking what's so wrong with that? I will tell you. They will lead people astray! They would need to leave out what Peter (correctly) answered:

Mat 16:16 Simon Peter answered and said, "You are the Christ, the Son of the living God."

Why?

Because if they did include that answer - then all of the other religions would be proven false!

God is not a God of confusion! He gave us His Written Word - the Bible, and His Living Word - Jesus Christ and I believe that Jesus is who He says He is! The Holy Spirit of God brings back to our minds what God has told us in His Word - and leads us into all understanding of the Scriptures. Those who are born-again in Christ will not be fooled by those who preach a different gospel - a false gospel which only leads the hearer into spiritual oblivion.

We were warned that the closer we get to the end times, there will be:

Mat 24:24 "For false christs and false prophets will rise and show great signs and wonders to deceive, if possible, even the elect.

You will notice that "the elect" WON'T be deceived! And we aren't deceived by groups like the one at that link!

July 27, 2010 3:55:00 PM PDT

Apparently, Kevin didn't like my response and he wrote:

Kevin said...
Hi Christine,
You state: "Hmmm...kinda shows which one is valued more - doesn't it?"
Actually Christine, being the first C in the word Coexist does not mean that the religion is more important! It is a symbol of all the religious symbols and the hope that we can all get along without killing each other. There is no conspiracy theory here.
Wouldn't it be nice if all the various religious would just let people make up their own mind which religion they wanted to follow? Just think how many lives would be saved if we stopped fighting over that.

July 27, 2010 5:26:00 PM PDT

So I replied:

Christinewjc said...
Kevin,

The various religions do already [have the opportunity] to all get along here in the U.S. But when one religion chops off the heads of the "infidels" and straps bombs to their bodies and blows themselves up at a Jewish wedding, market, or school; and when that same religion hijacks planes and crashes them into the World Trade Center, the Pentagon and one that was aimed for either the White House or Congressional building but landed in a field in Pennsylvania because some brave passengers charged the cockpit and wouldn't let the radical Muslims carry out their evil deed; then the "wouldn't it be nice" mantra that you obviously believe in doesn't recognize an evil religious belief when it is right before your very eyes!

People CAN make up their own minds which religion they want to follow in America. But just think how many lives would be saved if we stopped radical Islam from fighting their jihad and forcing their Sharia law and hard-core beliefs upon the world?

July 27, 2010 7:28:00 PM PDT

Kevin hasn't responded yet, but as I awoke this morning several verses came to my mind. I have expanded upon them here:


Isa 55:8 "For My thoughts are not your thoughts, Nor are your ways My ways," says the LORD.

Isa 55:9 "For as the heavens are higher than the earth, So are My ways higher than your ways, And My thoughts than your thoughts.

Although secular man values "pluralism" and "interfaith consciousness," the Lord God requires truth. Those two so-called values may sound nice to the ear, look pleasant to the eye, and satisfy the flesh, but they are worthless spiritually.

Earlier verses in Isaiah give those who have strayed from God through "pluralism" and "interfaith consciousness" the way of return:

Isa 55:6 Seek the LORD while He may be found, Call upon Him while He is near.


Isa 55:7 Let the wicked forsake his way, And the unrighteous man his thoughts; Let him return to the LORD, And He will have mercy on him; And to our God, For He will abundantly pardon.

It is important to read all of Romans 1, however, for the purpose of this particular discussion, I have selected certain verses that can be applied here:

Rom 1:17 For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith to faith; as it is written, "The just shall live by faith."


Rom 1:18 For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who suppress the truth in unrighteousness,


Rom 1:19 because what may be known of God is manifest in them, for God has shown it to them.


Rom 1:20 For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even His eternal power and Godhead, so that they are without excuse,


Rom 1:21 because, although they knew God, they did not glorify Him as God, nor were thankful, but became futile in their thoughts, and their foolish hearts were darkened.


Rom 1:22 Professing to be wise, they became fools,


Rom 1:23 and changed the glory of the incorruptible God into an image made like corruptible man—and birds and four-footed animals and creeping things.

Rom 1:24 Therefore God also gave them up to uncleanness, in the lusts of their hearts, to dishonor their bodies among themselves,


Rom 1:25 who exchanged the truth of God for the lie, and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever. Amen.

The "pluralism" and "interfaith consciousness" is a form of "exchanging the truth of God for the lie." What the people who are doing this are actually accomplishing is "worship and serv[ing] the creature" [i.e. man, beast, idol (like the golden calf of the Old Testament), false prophets (Muhammad), false christs (eg. making Christ in their own image like the homosexual "bishop" Gene Robinson and other do)], etc.

In the following list of those who "God gave over to a debased mind" we see examples of those that could be applied to the ideas of religious pluralism and interfaith consciousness:

Rom 1:28 And even as they did not like to retain God in their knowledge, God gave them over to a debased mind, to do those things which are not fitting;


Rom 1:29 being filled with all unrighteousness, sexual immorality, [fn] wickedness, covetousness, maliciousness; full of envy, murder, strife, deceit, evil-mindedness; they are whisperers,


Rom 1:30 backbiters, haters of God, violent, proud, boasters, inventors of evil things, disobedient to parents,


Rom 1:31 undiscerning, untrustworthy, unloving, unforgiving, [fn] unmerciful;


Rom 1:32 who, knowing the righteous judgment of God, that those who practice such things are deserving of death, not only do the same but also approve of those who practice them.
[Note: Bold mine]

Oftentimes, people focus on the sins that aren't in bold. However, notice that according to the righteous judgment of God - those who practice any or all of those things are deserving of death. What's more, Paul mentions that "those who approve of those who practice them" are also deserving of death. This reiterates that all sin is punishable by death. That is why Jesus Christ's sacrifice on the cross at Calvary and subsequent resurrection from the dead is the ONLY way to be forgiven and reconciled back unto the Father.

These people can dance around their religious pluralism and interfaith consciousness, celebrating it in their own minds (just like the Israelites danced around the golden calf "god" of their own making while their leader out of captivity - Moses - was away receiving the Ten Commandments from God); but as the previous verses point out, "their thoughts are not God's thoughts."

Since every word of the Bible is for reproof and correction, those who would violate God's Word with their own humanistic wisdom are guilty of "exchanging the truth for the lie."

Notice that the word "the" is before the word "lie." What is the lie? Why, it's the same lie from old that Jesus warns us about time and time again in the Scriptures:

Jhn 8:44 "You are of your father the devil, and the desires of your father you want to do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaks a lie, he speaks from his own resources, for he is a liar and the father of it.

1Jo 2:4 He who says, "I know Him," and does not keep His commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him.

Hat Tip:

Blue Letter Bible

Deceived by Collective Salvation?

Although this is my third post on the same topic, I find it a very crucial subject that needs to be thoroughly discussed. Before I begin, I want to thank everyone who has commented on the previous two posts:

1. The Error Of Collective Salvation and Black Liberation Theology.

2. No One Can Duplicate It.

FYI, the "Error Of Collective Salvation and Black Liberation Theology" post is very popular and might end up ranking as one of the most viewed essays in Talk Wisdom's history! Part of the reason for that is that the essay has been listed at this link over the past several days:

XTS - All The News At Your Fingertips: Collective Salvation.

So...a big thank you and hat tip to that website!

Apparently, the tweets on that page are updated frequently. Some of them have had negative comments about Glenn's show, others have been supportive. Here is an example of the tweets today, July 16, 2010 at 10:26 a.m. PT:

Collective Salvation Tweets

elraybaker : collective salvation isn't that what satan offered?
Updated : 16 July 2010, 1:27 am Reply View Tweet

NIdahoElections : COLLECTIVE SALVATION 4 THE MARXIST (ProgreSSive DemocRAT) MAY - MAY INVOLVE THE DEATH OF MAJOR NUMBERS OF PEOPLE FOR THE "COMMON GOOD!"
Updated : 16 July 2010, 1:15 am Reply View Tweet

coolmathteacher : @sunnieM Beck's show on Tuesday was AWESOME!! He layed [sic] out the plan of salvation OVER & OVER then compared it to OB's "collective" salv crap
Updated : 15 July 2010, 10:48 pm Reply View Tweet

Lockandload10 : Glenn Beck says OBama believes in Collective Salvation. Pope says its Demonic http://wp.me/pCanK-1A2 #RELIGION
Updated : 15 July 2010, 8:19 pm Reply View Tweet

patriotinks : RT @Lockandload10: Glenn Beck Says Obama believes in Collective Salvation. Pope says its demonic vid here #Religion #TEAPARTY
Updated : 15 July 2010, 8:17 pm Reply View Tweet

People have a HUGE interest in this debate! I think that it is wonderful that this discussion is out there. Agree or disagree, at least the TRUE GOSPEL OF JESUS CHRIST is being preached - despite the fact that some will reject it.

While listening to Glenn Beck's radio show this morning, he mentioned an article from a website called Faithful America.

On the "About Page," (above link) their beliefs and goals read just like Obama's political agenda! While looking through several pages, I didn't see anything about Jesus Christ being claimed as Lord and Savior. I didn't see anything written about the need to be born again (which Jesus stated we MUST do in John 3:3). I didn't see any Scripture quoted. What I did see, were these two comments about their political intentions and the history behind their existence:

By speaking out, mobilizing and taking action in the public square, we are building a powerful grassroots movement to put justice and the common good back at the center of the American values debate. At this critical juncture, when our actions or inaction will have profound and permanent global consequences, our faiths demand nothing less.

Notice the "our faiths" in that paragraph. Well, that's fine. Many people choose to live in a hodge-podge of spiritual oblivion. Just don't come off making people believe that you are a true, genuine, Biblically-based Christian community. You people are not fooling anyone!

Now, here is why they created their organization:

Faithful America was founded on June 15, 2004, when Americans of faith raised $36,000to place an advertisement on Arabic-language satellite television expressing regret to Muslims for the abuse committed by Americans at Abu Ghraib prison.

Ah! Now we see! It's another one of those blame Bush and hate the American military groups!

Typical liberal-progressive propaganda.

They have a Facebook page too. Here is their invitation to Glenn Beck fans:

Faithful America To all our visiting Glenn Beck fans, welcome! Please share your views and engage in polite debate. Name calling and personal attacks will be deleted, however.

Will disagreement with their politics get comments deleted?

Just glanced at the Facebook page. It states:

Faithful America is an online community of over 100,000 citizens motivated by faith to take action on the pressing moral issues of our time. We come from diverse faith traditions but share a unifying commitment to justice and the common good.

Motivated by faith? In what or whom? Isn't that important to know? That's the question that must be answered. Apparently, the moderators at the site aren't answering it!

Read the following comments from the bottom up:

Pete Partridge
We are all waiting for an answer to Angela's question.
4 minutes ago · Comment · Like · Flag

Frank Donnino Answer Angela's question?
15 minutes ago · Comment · Like · Flag

Pete Partridge Faithful America- How can we be saved? Please enlighten us.
17 minutes ago · Comment · Like · View Feedback (1)Hide Feedback (1) · Flag

Pete Partridge I'm going to laugh when someone says make a donation to Soros.
16 minutes ago · 1 personLoading...Pete Partridge I don't see anyone trying to debate the truth being presented here by the true followers of God..Funny how that works huh? You cannot debate the TRUTH! Think about that for a second. What is the other side of that debate going to be? Lies? "You shall know the truth and the truth shall set you free."
20 minutes ago · Comment · Like · Flag

Angela Faithful? Faithful America? You can come out now. Most of the Glenn Beck fans are gone. I'm still waiting for an answer to my question...
29 minutes ago · Comment · Like · Flag

Brian Woodbury I love reading from fellow Americans making fun of this group. hmmm who to believe these nuts preaching socialism /marxist ideals funded by soro the criminal or Beck who just points things out for us to research ourselves and Loves America as it was... Ill take Beck every time.
43 minutes ago · Comment · Like · View Feedback (2)Hide Feedback (2) · Flag

K Brad Porzelius likes this.

Brian Woodbury hose who dont know soros and all the communist groups he funds try this http://www.commieblaster.com/george-soros-fund/index.html and he is a convicted felon.Got to love a man that broke the UK pound made billions but says he is for the poor wants to legalize drugs which will mainly hurt inner city and poor.
26 minutes ago

Scott Elwood funny, you google their phone number and the first name that pops up is Faith in Public life, part of a site called Democracy in Action which, lo an behold is a progressive website funded by George Soros
53 minutes ago · Comment · Like · View Feedback (6)Hide Feedback (6) · Flag

Pete Partridge, Geri Jeffers and Joe Barton like this.

Angela Weird o_0
51 minutes ago

Joe Barton Astroturf!
46 minutes ago
Frank Donnino Of course it's Georgies. Like we don't know the truth. The truth...what a concept!
14 minutes ago

Scott Elwood hey Angela, I guess we're still waiting to find out how you get saved according to Faithful America
55 minutes ago · Comment · Like · View Feedback (4)Hide Feedback (4) · FlagJoe Barton likes this.

Angela Yep, but I won't give up the faith. I'll continue to ask until I get an answer ; )
53 minutes ago

Craig Storms I hear it is like a group hug :)
23 minutes ago

Angela lol
17 minutes ago

Scott Elwood I wonder if it's coincidence that Faithful America are based at the same address as other/former liberal/progressive action groups funded by George Soros, SEIU and AFL-CIO
57 minutes ago · Comment · Like · View Feedback (3)Hide Feedback (3) · Flag

Joe Barton and Geri Jeffers like this.

Angela It's a conspiracy! Quick! Get your tin foil hat! hehe
52 minutes ago · 1 personLoading...Nancy J. Coie Anyone well versed in the Bible would know that social justice is not what Jesus intended.
about an hour ago · Comment · Like · View Feedback (1)Hide Feedback (1) · Flag

Angela Thank you!
57 minutes ago

Scott Elwood nope, we're still here, we're waiting for the to respond, give us answers to our questions.................IF THEY CAN
about an hour ago · Comment · Like · View Feedback (1)Hide Feedback (1) · Flag
Joe Barton likes this.

Angela I still would like to know how to be saved. Faithful America, how does one get saved?

*******

Good question, Angela!!

I also want to share two excellent comments that were posted just this morning on my previous post "No One Can Duplicate It."

Christocentric said...
Christine, that was something else watching this Mormon, Glenn Beck, break down Black Liberation Theology! What an intriguing show! But what he did so importantly, is tie that heretical philosophy to the frame of mind of our current president, who sat under these teachings for 20 years under Rev. Wright!

But yes, isn't Christ wonderful? To avoid complete despair all we must do is remember that God is still in complete control of this mess and that this present earth is our temporary home. Thanks for sharing the scriptures of how much Christ loves us and what's He's done for us! Amen Amen!

Well, you know I haven't blogged much this year and I thought I stop by and respond to the Black Liberation show. Sadly, many black people I feel have such an inferiority complex that they must seek other false gods to make them feel better. Black Liberation falls under that - a very dangerous false teaching.

I promised you I'd share a link about this topic written by biblical scholar Ron Rhodes: "Black Theology, Black Power, and the Black Experience"

His article touches on many of the points shared by Glenn Beck on the show and he breaks down the teachings of James Cones, known as the father of Black Liberation Theology. The crux of his teaching is the "victimization" of Jesus Christ which many of us believe provides the belief system of Obama and his many victimization policies.

Enough on Obama...didn't really want to go there, but Glenn Beck took me to that place! Lol!

Take care Christine!

July 16, 2010 12:08:00 AM PDT

I met Carlotta via her Christocentric blog when she had a huge amount of information about Black Liberation Theology and the heretical kind of teaching that it is. Thanks for you input about this Carlotta! I really appreciate it!

stevex09 said...
As always I love your posts here. Always uplifting. Thank you!

Excellent point! No, Jesus was not a victim. Isa. 53:10-11:

Yet it pleased the LORD to bruise him; he hath put him to grief: when thou shalt make his soul an offering for sin, he shall see his seed, he shall prolong his days, and the pleasure of the LORD shall prosper in his hand.

He shall see of the travail of his soul, and shall be satisfied ...

Jesus was satisfied with the results of his 'travail' of which he willingly accepted.

July 16, 2010 9:36:00 AM PDT

EXCELLENT Stevex09! It is my prayer that what you shared here will get through to those who are trapped in the heresy of "collective salvation" and Black Liberation Theology!

After reading Stevex09's comment, I grabbed a book on my shelf called "The Great Compromise" by Greg Laurie. It opened automatically to page 172 and I read the highlighted paragraph there (included below). Then, I turned back a few pages and read the following paragraphs that I thought were perfect to share for such a time as this:

Yes, we all have our areas of vulnerability. We all have weights, or things that slow us down. We are confronted daily by a wide array of compromises that potentially could shut us down completely. How do we deal with that? We lay aside those weights.

Paul said, "Lay aside the weight and sin that so easily besets you." Lay it aside! You don't have to continue doing that thing that is hanging up your Christian walk. You don't have to continually expose yourself to temptation. You don't have to keep on compromising. It's not as if there is some set-in-stone pattern that is impossible for you to break out of. The Bible is filled with promises for just such occasions. Take, for example, this insightful word from Scripture: "Our soul has escaped as a bird from the snare of the fowlers: the snare is broken, and we have escaped. Our help is in the name of the Lord, who made heaven and earth" (Ps. 124:7-8). Can you see it? God provides a way of escape in every situation -- even yours.

When I read that, I thought of all those people who have been terribly deceived by the social justice/collective salvation/Black (or any) Liberation Theology heresies. It is my prayer that they will realize their errors and just look to Jesus, "who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God" (Heb. 12:2 KJV).

For evangelicals, this isn't a game of "gotcha." No!! It is our duty to carry out The Great Commission - which was the last command that Jesus gave to his disciples before ascending into Heaven.

The fact that the aforementioned heresies claim that Jesus died as a victim is terribly distorted theology! Greg Laurie corrects them:

When Jesus carried that weighty, cumbersome cross through the winding streets of Jerusalem and to Golgotha, where He was nailed to it and left to die a horrible, painful death, it was a shameful thing. People laughed at Him. They mocked Him. They cursed Him. They wanted nothing to do with Him as He hung there, dying. Most of His disciples had forsaken Him. All but John were nowhere to be found that day. What kept Him going? What made Him bear up under all that horrible abuse? The Bible says it was "the joy that was set before Him." What joy? The joy of knowing that His death would set men free of Satan's clutches, traps, and snares.

Remember - there is joy in heaven each time a sinner comes to Christ (see Luke 15:7). So why did Jesus press through to the finish line that day at Calvary?

For you.

*******

Hat Tips to all commentators and links!

Greg Koukl: The Secret - A Fatal Attraction

This morning, I received an email with the July, 2010 issue of Stand to Reason's Solid Ground publication. It is available [Note: PDF form] at the following link:

Solid Ground - The Secret: A Fatal Attraction

The author's foreword discusses the time that he appeared on a T.V. show called Lee Strobel's Faith Under Fire in a debate with Deepak Chopra. I saw that show, which was broadcast back in 2005, and wrote about it at my Talk Wisdom forum.

After reading Mr. Koukl's analysis of Oprah's so-called "ministry" known as "The Secret," it is revealed that she and the author of the book are misleading over 22 million people towards an old lie type of "religion" which is nothing more than a mix of monism, pantheism and Hinduism. What's even more disturbing is the fact that this false religion is being touted as "consistent with Christianity." Nothing could be further from the truth!

Please feel free to share your thoughts on Mr. Koukl's analysis in the comment section.

Also, you may see Greg's schedule includes an appearance in Manhattan Beach, CA on July 28, 2010. I plan to attend! If you live in the area, perhaps I will see some of my readers there!

God bless and have a great day!

Christine

P.S. FYI - My forum is closed to new members. I was forced to do that because of dozens of spam registrations that were occurring each day. Since I started blogging, I usually use that forum for reference purposes. However, if anyone wants to join the forum board, scroll down to "Contact Us" and follow the instructions. Also, I noticed that the link to "Smart Christian" is no longer active.

Hat Tip:

Stand To Reason

The Constant And Ongoing Truth War

Many times, I have brought up the need for repentance when confessing sin and accepting Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior. However, it is sad to have to say that not all churches that label themselves as "Christian" believe such truth.

Bill Muehlenberg over at Culture Watch has an excellent post up called, "Another Jesus."

Bill is correct! When a preacher makes Jesus into his own image, or, makes Jesus fit into his own ideological beliefs rather than follow the true Gospel of Christ as recorded in the Bible, then such a preacher is guilty of heresy and apostasy.

There is a constant and ongoing truth war in this world. Jesus told us that as believers in him, we "are not of this world" - just as he claimed not to be of this world!

Where do we go to know the truth?

God's Word.

The Bible reveals the Living Word - which is Jesus Christ himself - and no other religion or spiritual leader who claims to have another type of truth (e.g. Another Jesus as Bill explains in his post) is genuinely in the truth.

This is why we trust in God the Father and His Son, Jesus Christ. Once born again in Christ, the Holy Spirit will guide us in our lives and make the Bible verses come to life in us. Scripture tells us that Satan's ploy could even fool the elect - if that were possible. This means that the deception can be so strong at times that even those born again in Christ could get fooled. But God's Word promises that the elect will not get fooled. Why? Because the Holy Spirit of God will guide us unto all righteousness and truth.

If what you are being taught at church does not agree with what is recorded in God's Written Word - the Bible, then REJECT it! This is how God guards our hearts and minds in the age of deception - which is stronger at this time in history than ever before!

My comment over at Bill's blog:

Relativism is man's excuse for not repenting of his/her sins at the foot of the cross of Christ. The 'cross less' gospel is the one that the heretics preach because that type of false gospel allows them to keep practicing their favorite sins (and trapped in the lie) and keeps them away from the Truth.

Both John the Baptist and then, of course, Jesus began their ministries saying, "Repent, for the kingdom of God is near." Without repentance of sin, there is no forgiveness of sin. Without forgiveness, the soul of the unforgiven person is lost. Those who think that this is a minor issue are in grave error!

Great post, as always, Bill!

Hat Tip:

Culture Watch

The Unholy Alliance of Marxism and Islamic Jihad

Andrew Breitbart's Big Journalism Blog has a MUST READ Essay entitled: Ten Questions About ‘The Grand Jihad’ For Author Andrew McCarthy

Posted by Michael Walsh May 31st 2010 at 1:14 pm in Featured Story, Politics, Religion

Andy McCarthy’s vital new book, The Grand Jihad: How Islam and the Left Sabotage America, was published last week. The author, a former federal prosecutor, discusses the looming threats both foreign and domestic:

Q. Why did you write this book? Surely, you’re overstating the threat to the American way of life from radical Islam.

We’re 17 years removed from the declaration of a jihadist war against the United States, the bombing of the World Trade Center, and nearly a decade removed from the jihadist atrocities of 9/11. Yet, as recently as last week, we heard President Obama’s top counterterrorism adviser insist that Islam has nothing to do with the threat facing us and that because Islam is, by his lights, benign, and so is jihad — merely an internal struggle to “purify” oneself or one’s community. In point of fact, we are facing a movement that is very mainstream among the world’s 1.4 billion Muslims, a movement that unabashedly declares itself as engaged in a “civilizational” war against America and the West. I don’t think I’m overstating the threat; I think I’m reporting the threat precisely as our enemies have stated it, notwithstanding that our political leadership won’t come to grips with the fact that we have enemies, let alone with the ideology that catalyzes them.

Q. You open with the memorable moment when President Obama bowed to the Saudi King. Although you dismiss the notion that Obama is some kind of “Manchurian Muslim,” why else would he do such a thing? In fact, why is he so loath to speak out against any Muslim, anywhere, if on some level he does not share either religious or cultural sympathies with them?

There is a difference between being a Muslim, which Obama is not, and sharing religious and cultural sympathies with Muslims — indeed, adhering to much of the Islamist narrative that blames America for our tensions with Muslims — which Obama surely does. As I explain in the book, based on a comparative study of Islamist and Leftist ideologies (particularly Qutb and Rousseau) as well as on numerous historic and present-day examples of cooperation between Islamists and Leftists, there is immense common ground between these two camps. Both are authoritarian systems, totalitarian in the sense that they want to control every aspect of the individual’s life, and virulently opposed to capitalism and individual liberty. President Obama is the leader of the modern hard Left and King Abdullah — whose title is Keeper of the Two Holy Mosques, Islam’s crown jewels of Mecca and Medina — is the emblem of the global Islamist movement. They share a common goal of radically transforming the West. Even though they part company on the details of what they would transform it into, they both need to topple American constitutional republicanism in order to install their utopias.

Q. The heart of your book is the argument that the Left and Islam have made an alliance of convenience, sharing a common enemy, which is classical Western civilization. Some dismiss this idea with the riposte that the Left will suffer as much if not more than anybody under Sharia Law. How do you answer them?

The Left has colluded with Islamists numerous times in the past: Iranian communists supported Khomeini against the Shah, Nasser confederated with the Muslim Brotherhood against the Egyptian monarchy, the PLO has always combined Leftists and Islamists, the Pakistani People’s Party still regards its program as Islamic socialism (which is also the way Nasser saw his program), etc. This should surprise no one. Rousseau, the father of modern radical movements, was an admirer of Islam — mainly because it rejects the separation between the spiritual and secular realms. And just look around you: Who is al Qaeda’s main lawyer? The Leftist Center for Constitutional Rights. Who is CAIR’s reliable partner in litigation opposing sensible national security measure’s? The ACLU. Islamist groups like the Muslim Public Affairs Council were very active championing Obama’s big-government takeover of healthcare. The Muslim Brotherhood, which is the architect and chief theoretician of the global Islamist movement, is aggressively Leftist in its political and social programs.

So it seems silly to me to rationalize that the Left has lots to lose in a partnership with Islamists — as if we were talking about a hypothetical. The cooperation is happening. The better question is: Why? The easy answer is that the two sides have more in common than they have in opposition. Moreover, to say that the Left would suffer more than anyone under Sharia law misses the point. We are not in a situation where the only ones left are the radical Left and the Islamists — where they would square off against each other. Instead, we are at a point in history when they both have a more pressing common enemy: the culture of freedom in the West. As they have done numerous times in the past, they will work together to try to defeat that enemy. Once that happens — if we let it happen — then they can figure out which one is the crocodile and which one the last appeaser to be eaten.

Q. To what do you attribute the MSM’s reluctance to explore these questions? Does the “narrative” of the First Black President outweigh everything else? Are they lazy? Complicit? Some combination of all three?

The MSM has its roots in the modern Left: It is a product of the J-schools and Democratic Party politics. It has fostered our suffocating climate of political correctness in which America is always at fault, Obama is the savior, and Islam is an unalloyed societal good — to the point that even when a jihadist at Fort Hood, while screaming “Allahu Akbar!”, mass-murders twice as many people as were killed in the 1993 WTC bombing, the MSM (like our government) would rather gouge its eyes out than admit that the savage was a Muslim. There is laziness in the journalism biz just like there is everyplace else, but for the most part today’s journalists are invested in the Left’s ascendancy. We are living in their world.

Q. Why are Americans so slow to pick up the concepts of dawa and jihad?

For two reasons. First, our political leadership — including administrations of both parties — has been desperate to suppress Islamic doctrine’s role in fueling terrorism committed by Muslims. Second, though Islam aspires to be much more than a religion (it is an all-encompassing legal, political and social system from which the spiritual elements are indivisible), it is given the label of “religion.” We have an admirable impulse in the West not to pry into other people’s belief systems. Beyond that, no one wants to be accused of religious bigotry by a grievance industry dominated by Leftists and Islamists. Think about it this way: despite the enormity of evil and peril involved in terrorist attacks that have now claimed thousands of lives, we can’t get people to focus on the ideology behind violent jihad. How much more difficult it is, then, to get them focused on the less immediate threat of dawa, which Robert Spencer aptly describes as the stealth (generally nonviolent) form of jihad. Unless people perceive the challenge as truly threatening, they will never pick up on these concepts. The Islamist and Leftist groups are trying to keep them asleep. My book is a modest attempt to wake them up.

Q. Discuss the role of Political Correctness in our apprehension, or lack of it, of Islam.

As I’ve said, political correctness has a lot to do with our lack of apprehension. But so does flat out extortion. When people speak out against Islamist supremacism, they are threatened and sometimes killed — and the reaction of our opinion elites is to condemn the victims for being provocative. So we get to the absurd point where Yale University Press purges depictions of the Danish cartoons in a book about the Danish cartoons that sparked Islamist rioting. In the Flying Imams incident, which I consider in detail in the book, efforts are made to sue the passengers who reported the imams’ reprehensible conduct — and the airline, after some terrible rulings by a judge sympathetic to the Islamists, ends up having to pay a settlement. This is political correctness with some real teeth, and its unmistakable message is: If you see something, say nothing.

Q. Isn’t one of the problems that we continue to think in terms of nation-states, whereas Islam disdains such a concept in favor of the ummah?

Well, I prefer to think in terms of nation-states because, if we are saved, nation-states will play a major role in that. Nation-states are much more apt to pursue their interests, including their defense, than the alternative: international organizations run by transnational progressives who are a big part of the problem. It is undeniably true, though, that Islamists reject the Westphalian world order — and we should bear that in mind when they prattle about how much they purportedly love America and other Western countries, and how they’re just challenging us to live up to “our values.”

Q. What’s it going to take for us to wake up? If and when an American city is nuked will we even fight back? Or will the lawyers and the JAGs find legalistic excuses for inaction?

It’s going to take a solution from outside of government: the American people have to be made aware of the threat we face — which is much broader and more insidious than terrorism — and they have to demand action. This is not unheard of. Public outrage has been very effective in stopping some of our political leadership’s worst agenda items — comprehensive immigration reform and the closing of Gitmo come to mind; we came very close to derailing Obamacare and we still have a chance of reversing it before it goes into effect. But it is going to take public awareness and passion. I hope it doesn’t take a catastrophic nuclear attack, but — sad to say — 9/11 obviously didn’t grab people like it should have. In many ways, we’re worse off today.

Q. Is there a Martel, a Sobieski or a Kitchener on the horizon, or have we arrived at the Spenglerian end of western power?

The American people are an endlessly resourceful and energetic people. While dependency culture has made alarming inroads, I still believe we are passionate about our freedom, and we will fight for it once it is clear that the fight has to be made. But I admit, it’s late in the day.

Q. There must be one bright spot, right… Right?

It is still possible for us to have this conversation and to be very candid about what we’re up against. In a lot of places, that can’t happen, and if the Obama administration continues canoodling with the likes of the Organization of the Islamic Conference — which wants to criminalize any critical discussion of Islam — we’ll need to worry that America could become one of those places. For now, it’s not. For now, we still have our rights to speak, to persuade, and to act in our defense. There are real points of disagreement between Islam and the Left. They combine because they sense their mutual enemy, our freedom culture, is very potent. If that culture were fatally weak, they’d already have won. They haven’t … and they’re still a ways from achieving their aspirations. To me, that’s a pretty bright spot.

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Be sure to read the comments over at Big Journalism, too.

There is SO MUCH that can be discussed regarding this interview! For now, I want to focus on one answer given by Mr. McCarthy:

So it seems silly to me to rationalize that the Left has lots to lose in a partnership with Islamists — as if we were talking about a hypothetical. The cooperation is happening. The better question is: Why? The easy answer is that the two sides have more in common than they have in opposition. Moreover, to say that the Left would suffer more than anyone under Sharia law misses the point. We are not in a situation where the only ones left are the radical Left and the Islamists — where they would square off against each other. Instead, we are at a point in history when they both have a more pressing common enemy: the culture of freedom in the West. As they have done numerous times in the past, they will work together to try to defeat that enemy. Once that happens — if we let it happen — then they can figure out which one is the crocodile and which one the last appeaser to be eaten.

[Note: bold and italics mine.]

Want to see an example of a protester at a leftist march up in San Francisco who is holding a sign that reflects EXACTLY what Mr. McCarthy alleges in the quote above?


The sign reads: "Thank you S. F. (San Francisco) Liberals - You Die Last."

In light of this interview, that sign makes more sense now, doesn't it?

The Islamists think that they will defeat their former cooperative cohorts - the Marxists - and the Marxists think that they will ultimately triumph over the Islamists.

Remind you of anything in history?

Perhaps the fact that Nazi Germany secretly worked together with Islam, [See Obsession: Radical Islam's War Against the West] and also worked together with Communist Russia [See Glenn Beck's Documentary: Live Free or Die ] before they became enemies later on during World War II? See this video that discusses the agreement between the secret protocol between Nazi Germany and the Soviet Union.

Please consider alerting your family, neighbors, friends and acquaintances to the danger that the unholy alliance of Marxism and Islamic Jihad presents to the United States of America, and all other Western nations that hold to the desire for freedom and liberty, smaller government, a strong military to protect our nation and border. We want the ability to pursue economic entrepreneurism and wealth-building capitalistic enterprises without the intrusion of big government. Most importantly, WE THE PEOPLE here in America want to hold onto our sovereignty and RESTORE the Constitutional Republic form of government originally given to us by our Founding Fathers.

Those who do not read blogs and depend entirely on the controlled network news probably have no idea what is really going with the unholy alliance of Islam and Marxism behind the scenes here in America.

Hat Tips:

Big Journalism

Obsession: Radical Islam's War Against the West

Glenn Beck's Documentary: Live Free or Die

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Update at 8:14 p.m. PT:

I just visited the Amazon.com website and read an excellent review of the book:

28 of 35 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars McCarty informs and is willing to call things by their right names, May 26, 2010
By Craig Matteson (Ann Arbor, MI) - See all my reviews
(TOP 50 REVIEWER)

This review is from: The Grand Jihad: How Islam and the Left Sabotage America (Hardcover)
The title of Andrew McCarthy's new book isn't something he made up, it is taken from a 1990s document from a "mainstream" "non-violent" Muslim organization describing their long term goal of hollowing out Western culture using its own values of tolerance and religious freedom. Note that Islamic countries do NOT allow tolerance and religious freedom in anything like the Western manner. And their two holiest cities are closed to us non-Muslims because we are unworthy to enter such holy places. Once they have hollowed out Europe, America, and other nations, they can fill the void with Sharia, which is the Muslim law and turn these nations into Islamic countries and their Grand Jihad will have achieved victory. Note, that terror is not necessarily part of this strategy.

In fact, Al Qaeda and their brother terrorist groups are frowned at in some of this Salafi circles. Others see them as tools that supply cover for their "moderate" work. But make no mistake about it, McCarthy warns, the goal of the Islamist moderates and the terrorists is the same. They desire the collapse of the West and the rise of Islam as the ruling way of life throughout the world. To the extent that Sharia spreads into Western democracies the strategy of "Grand Jihad" is victorious.

Have you heard of the Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani? He is a very powerful Shia cleric and deemed by our U.S. government as a "moderate" and key ally in Iraq. He teaches that we non-Muslims should not be touched or even associated with. That we, as non-believers, are filth no different than feces, urine, pigs and the like. Does that sound like moderation and mutual respect to you?

Islam is not a religion in the sense that the West currently views its various "faith communities" that are one aspect of the lives we assemble for ourselves from the lavish and extensive buffet we call our Western Culture. Islam is a faith, but it is more than that. In the Salafi view of Islam it is a complete way of life. Everything is settled and has been settled since around 900 A.D.. Well, they wouldn't use A.D. and I know it is fashionable to use C.E. nowadays, but I'm a Christian and will count my own years, thank you very much.

McCarthy also demonstrates how the post-Modern Left philosophies make us blind to this very real threat. We can't call terrorists what they are. We can't admit to ourselves what Islam is really about or even what Jihad actually means to hundreds of millions of Muslims or that this non-violent approach to conquering the West exists. This despite the fact that Sharia is making inroads into British, Dutch, and French jurisprudence. That there are whole sections of major cities in Europe that have been left to Muslim gangs to run because police cannot even enter them.

The Left elites advise that we can't use the word victory or that we are even at war with some kind of Islamic philosophy. These jihadist Islamist terrorists send a bomber into Detroit, my hometown, in order to blow a plane out of the sky on Christmas Day, a high Holy Day that most Americans observe, and our government's first instinct is to lie to us and tell us he is acting alone and that it has nothing to do with terror or Islam. But our enemies know they are at war with us and say so. And we refuse to accept the fight. Will that really end well? Where we are actually in armed conflict with them we refuse to press our advantages and let the other side dictate the rules of engagement: that we can't fight at night or shoot until shot upon and we see their weapons, and so forth. They respect only strength and we hope to appease through weakness and bowing. We need to wake up.

This is a terrific, powerful, and very informative work. I hope you pick up a copy today and read it and share it with everyone you know. Andrew McCarthy knows what he writes about. That his critics viciously attack him personally rather than debate his arguments is strong evidence that he is spot on in his observations and strong in his arguments.

We need to stand up and engage this war of civilizations at all levels. Folks, this is not going to go away. Our enemy is implacable, patient, and relentless. We have to be stronger, more tenacious, and willing to endure all things until we achieve victory. But first we have to allow ourselves to call things by their right names.

Reviewed by Craig Matteson, Saline, MI