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[#Phonepunk#]

appropriate for today

 

[Tesseract]

reading the good book while i code, digging into various wki portals

Gutenberg Bible - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

The Gutenberg Bible (also known as the 42-line Bible, the Mazarin Bible or the B42) was among the earliest major books printed using mass-produced movable metal type in Europe. It marked the start of the "Gutenberg Revolution" and the age of printed books in the West. The book is valued and revered for its high aesthetic and artistic qualities[1] as well as its historic significance. It is an edition of the Latin Vulgate printed in the 1450s by Johannes Gutenberg in Mainz, in present-day Germany. Forty-nine copies (or substantial portions of copies) have survived. They are thought to be among the world's most valuable books, although no complete copy has been sold since 1978.[2][3] In March 1455, the future Pope Pius II wrote that he had seen pages from the Gutenberg Bible displayed in Frankfurt to promote the edition. It is not known how many copies were printed; the 1455 letter cites sources for both 158 and 180 copies. The 36-line Bible, said to be the second printed Bible, is also referred to sometimes as a Gutenberg Bible, but may be the work of another printer.

3 great men, wielding the same shield across time (y space)

Lincoln Bible - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

The Lincoln Bible is the Bible owned by President Abraham Lincoln, and was later used by Barack Obama at his inaugurations in 2009 and 2013, as well as the inauguration of Donald Trump in 2017. The Lincoln family donated the Bible to the Library of Congress, which includes it in their collection.

Overview[edit]
The Bible is an Oxford University Press edition of the King James Bible. Published in 1853, it has 1280 pages, and measures approximately 6 inches (150 mm) long by 4 inches (100 mm) wide, and 1.75 inches (44 mm) thick,[1][2] and is bound in burgundy red velvet with gilt edges.[2][3] The back flyleaf of the Bible bears the seal of the Supreme Court of the United States along with a record of the 1861 inauguration.[4] The Bible is not a rare edition, and a similar Bible lacking the Lincoln Bible's historical significance would be valued at approximately $30 or $40.[4]

History[edit]
Donald Trump using the Lincoln Bible (being held by wife Melania Trump, with his personal Bible on top of it) to take oath of office at his inauguration.
Abraham Lincoln reached Washington, D.C. for his inauguration in 1861. His belongings, including his Bible, had yet to arrive. William Thomas Carroll, the clerk of the U.S. Supreme Court, fetched a Bible that he kept for official use. This became the Lincoln Bible.[5] Although the Bible remained with Carroll for a time, the Lincolns acquired it at an unknown time. The Bible later remained with the Lincoln family up until 1928, at which point Mary Eunice Harlan, the widow of Robert Todd Lincoln, donated it to the Library of Congress.[4] When the Bible was donated, it contained markers at the 31st chapter of the Book of Deuteronomy and the fourth chapter of the Book of Hosea.[6] Barack Obama chose this Bible for his inaugurations in 2009[3] and 2013.[7] The Bible was on display at the Library of Congress until 2009 in a celebration of the bicentennial of Lincoln's birth.[2] The Bible was used to swear in Carla Hayden as the 14th Librarian of Congress on September 14, 2016.[8] Donald Trump was sworn in on this Bible and his childhood Bible at his inauguration on January 20, 2017.[9]

 

[Helscream]

I appreciate that and your thoroughness. I do not believe his plan of salvation has changed, but that there will be many that think they've followed it only to miss the mark. There are examples of that.

But also, there are times when God did change his mind. Sampson was supposed to lose his strength because of cutting his hair, but he called out to God and got his strength back to do one last feat. Exodus 32 shows He changed His mind because of the discussion with Moses. It doesn't seem to happen often, and it's mostly responding to human's requests.


There's also the act of judgement. You cannot judge if there is only one answer. There has to be variability.

Matthew 7:2 For with what judgment you judge, you will be judged; and with the measure you use, it will be measured back to you.

I don't think believing what I'm saying should change anything about how you should live, but it always feels like lying to me when I hear a Christian proclaim they know they're saved and will be going to Heaven. I don't feel they "know."

That is why I was specific that it was God's Character that does not change. What I mean by this is that God is consistent in His decision making as how the Bible defines Him.

Clearly there are plenty of examples of God changing His actions. In the case of the Book of Jonah what happens? God Instructs Jonah to go to Nineveh and warn them of their impending Judgment. Jonah so despises the people of Nineveh, he figures why bother to go and warn them if God is going to judge them for their wickedness. However as we read, God still insist Jonah do as He commanded. When Jonah finally gets around to visiting Nineveh and basically tells them "In 40 Days you get yours". The people in Nineveh however repent of their sins and God accepts their repentance and Nineveh is not destroyed.

The God of the Bible binds Himself to His own Word. Take example of The Second Book of Chronicles Chapter 7 Verse 14

"If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land."

This is one of many examples of God telling us if we do X, Y, and Z. He Will do A, B and C in return. Hope that makes sense.

How important is Revelations?
What will it teach me in a nutshell?

"Blessed is he that readeth, and they that hear the words of this prophecy, and keep those things which are written therein: for the time is at hand."

The Book of Revelation is the only book in the Bible that basically says "read me, Im special". That the reader is permitted a special blessing in reading it.

Now in terms of what it will teach you it gives you the ultimate conclusion of Humanity's Salvation, The Judgement of all the Wicked and Sinful (Especially Satan and his Kingdom of Darkness), and the direct intervention to save the people of Israel that will conclude in the 1,000 year reign of peace upon the earth as Jesus sits upon His Throne as the absolute Ruler of the Earth. That is the nutshell version.

People will differ on if it is all literal or just allegorical. I learn more on the literal side when it comes to Bible interpretation. There is alot of material in Ezekiel, Daniel, Jeremiah, Isaiah, Zechariah that will expand upon what is in the book of Revelation. As well a lot of prophetic passages (Old and New Testament) in other Books that have yet to be fulfilled and it all points to what is called "The End Times".

P.S.

Sorry for my super delayed reply, been having a crazy good time with Path of Exile.

 

[Chaplain]

Study Guide - Learning from the Spiritual Pilgrimage of C.S. Lewis

"In this six-part CSLI video series, Dr. Lyle Dorsett argues that Lewis was powerful not because of his intellect, but because of his deep devotion to Jesus Christ formed in the daily spiritual practices of his life. Would you like to make an impact on the world for Christ? If so, you will find this free online course to be engaging and full of powerful ways to deepen your spiritual life and become a more effective witness for Christ. We too, like Lewis, can learn from his spiritual formation and pilgrimage, and incorporate the habits of grace that God used in Lewis’ life so that he could impact the world."

 

[nikolino840]

Modern Christianity Is not the same of the past...i think Is becouse with the globalization even the Church can understand different cultures
Becouse every culture have adopted the religion mixing with their past religions and point of view (heretics by the Roman Church)
So in Bulgaria there's:

Bogomilism - Wikipedia

en.m.wikipedia.org

In Armenia :

Paulicianism - Wikipedia

en.m.wikipedia.org

And even in Italy there's differents point of view of the Christianity

Dulcinians - Wikipedia

en.m.wikipedia.org

 

[Chaplain]

"COVID-19 has brought stress, anxiety, and pain to many. The situation has raised questions about how to continue with "normal life," despite so much of the status quo being shaken. In light of this unprecedented moment, join us for a conversation about the mental health impacts of the coronavirus pandemic and how we can be equipped to move forward, straining toward something greater than the "doom and gloom" perspective often discussed. A host of campus ministries and student organizations from UNC-Chapel Hill and Duke University are partnering to host this Virtual Veritas Forum exploring God, mental health, and our current COVID-19 moment. This year's Forum speakers are Dr. Nii Addy of Yale and Dr. Warren Kinghorn of Duke. Dr. Michelle Kirtley will be serving as the moderator." (4/22/20)

 

[Scotty W]

How important is Revelations?
What will it teach me in a nutshell?

I read it about 5 times for an English essay, and the poetry of it is amazing. If you just look at one image and watch how it is transformed throughout the book, you will be blown away. But what is really incredible is the fact that ALL the images in the book undergo the same process, and interact with each other.

 

[Chaplain]

New resources:

Sermon: Apologist Michael Ramsden - Love, Patience, and Courage (4/26/20)



Marriage Sermon: The Power for Oneness (Psalm 127, 4/25/20)



Sermon: Down But Not Out! (Job 1-2, 4/25/20)



Video: God Does Not Give Up | Michael Ramsden

...Michael Ramsden as he opens up the much quoted, but much misunderstood, Bible story of Jonah (and the whale). In this story, Michael sees a challenge to all of us to examine whether, in this time of #COVID19 crisis, we are truly listening to the call on our lives. Are you choosing to do what you desire over doing what is right?

Video: Is it time to end the war on drugs? Peter Hitchens vs Christina Dent

Peter Hitchens and Christina Dent, two Christians with very different views on drug legalisation, debate whether or not decriminalisation is the way to combat drug abuse.

Video: Thinking Biblically About the COVID-19 Pandemic: An Interview with John MacArthur



Podcast: The Voice of the Martyrs - PRAY FOR MUSLIMS DURING RAMADAN

Right now, Muslims around the world are fasting during daylight hours in an effort to show their devotion and earn Allah’s favor and approval. It is a strategic time for us, as Christians, to pray for Muslims to come to know Jesus Christ as the Savior and Son of God. This week on VOM Radio we’ll hear from people working in Muslim nations and among Muslim people. They’ll help us understand what Ramadan means to Muslims and share specific ways Christians can pray. Finally, our guests will lead in prayer for God’s Holy Spirit to move among Muslims during this month.

A Harvard Professor Shows Her Prejudice Against Homeschoolers

I was taught in a house full of books. My education included languages, music, math—and lots of friends.

Slaves of a Good Master

The essence of the Christian life can be described in terms of slavery to Christ. It is interesting to note that slave is a favorite self-designation for the apostles and other writers of Scripture. James claims this title for himself in the opening verse of his epistle (James 1:1). The same is true for Peter (2 Pet. 1:1), Jude (Jude 1:1), and John (Rev. 1:1). In addition, Paul repeats that he is Christ’s doulos throughout his other letters, in Romans, 1 Corinthians, Galatians, Ephesians, Colossians, 2 Timothy, and Titus. The term is used at least forty times in the New Testament to refer to the believer, and the Hebrew equivalent is used over 250 times to refer to believers in the Old Testament. We may safely conclude that the Lord wants His people to understand themselves in this way.

5 Reasons to Read Ecclesiastes During the Quarantine

When the quarantine first began, I sent out a tweet that said, “I’ve been studying the book of Ecclesiastes this month. Given our current predicament, and the nature of Ecclesiastes, starting to think I might want to study a different book.” After a month of the quarantine, and considerable time spent studying Ecclesiastes nonetheless, I see things very differently.

The Coronavirus Makes Our Old Culture Wars Seem Quaint

There are fights worth having. These are some of them.

The Cult of the Expert by theologian Joe Boot

It is a puzzling question for many why so many seemingly brilliant people can be so utterly foolish and bereft of wisdom or judgment in the ordinary affairs of life. Jean-Paul Sartre, another twentieth-century Western intellectual with a massive cult following, was well-known for seducing his young female philosophy students with the help of his lover, Simone de Beauvoir, whilst simultaneously involving himself in cultural and political affairs of which he clearly had no understanding. A man addicted to fornication, alcohol and barbiturates, Sartre was incapable of maintaining relationships with male intellectual peers who might actually challenge him, and like his radical compatriots, was unable to bring himself to condemn Stalinism or the Communist Party – though he remained gregariously anti-American. He was still publicly defending the Soviets in the 1950s and warmly praising Mao’s China. For Sartre, the existing Christian order in the West was simply ‘institutionalized violence’ that required ‘intellectual activism’ and ‘necessary violence’ to overthrow it.

 

[nikolino840]

 

[Tesseract]

I read it about 5 times for an English essay, and the poetry of it is amazing. If you just look at one image and watch how it is transformed throughout the book, you will be blown away. But what is really incredible is the fact that ALL the images in the book undergo the same process, and interact with each other.

the hyperlinking in the good book is completely off the chain

all writers should read it, christian or not

 

[Scotty W]

the hyperlinking in the good book is completely off the chain

all writers should read it, christian or not

I agree. Now about the hyperlink metaphor, I find I naturally use it and the networking metaphor when talking about systems of imagery, but I am worried that it smuggles in more connotations than we might be aware of. As far as I understand, the Bible uses the word ‘figura’ to talk about its own recurrent images. Figura, iirc, is connected to the word for wax, ie, what is figured with a seal- which calls to mind the more popular modern word simulacrum. There is an amazing philolgical tour de force of the development of the figura concept by a writer named Erich Auerbach, which I highly recommend; though it has been too long since I read it, plus the fact rhat I read it way too quickly. Northrop Frye has a lot to say about he figura in his books on the Bible as well.

Also, anyone who enjoys Revelations, those sorts of image systems, or the supreme works of human artistry would be well advised to read Shakespeare’s Anthony and Cleopatra-with the caveat that you have tkread it a few times before you will stary to get it- it has been shown that some of ifs images are drawn from Revelation, and speakin from experience, I personally believe that Shakespeare learned a lot about how to develop and mix image systems from Revelation in particular.

 

[Chaplain]

Article: Life in the time of cholera: how the Victorians dealt with epidemics

"The alarming spread of COVID-19 has led some commentators to scour the past in search of lessons from previous pandemics, while others warn that we are seeing the first glimpses of a dystopian future, where contagious diseases regularly ravage sections of our over-populated planet. Such prophecies may strike fear deep into the hearts of many, but the history books can provide us with some hope for humanity in the form of the Victorians and their response to situations far worse than ours today."

Article: The First Hyperlinked Text: The Bible and its 63,779 Cross-References

The bar graph that runs along the bottom represents all of the chapters in the Bible. Books alternate in color between white and light gray. The length of each bar denotes the number of verses in the chapter. Each of the 63,779 cross references found in the Bible is depicted by a single arc - the color corresponds to the distance between the two chapters, creating a rainbow-like effect.

 

[Chaplain]

CURATED RESOURCES FOR NAVIGATING THE COVID-19 (CORONAVIRUS) CRISIS

Articles:

• Encouragement from Dr. Hannah
• Leadership Resilience
• Jesus’ Resurrection Ushers in Eternal Life
• Jesus’ Resurrection means the Death of Death
• After this Easter and the Plague

Podcasts:

• Pandemic or Plague – Where is God in Coronavirus?
• Pandemics, Prophecy, and the Middle East (webcast)
• How to Work when You’re Working from Home
• Christian Responses to the Problem of Evil
• A Christian Perspective on Anxiety
• Human Dignity and the Image of God
• Human Dignity and Cultural Engagement
• Ministering to Your City
• How to Work when You’re Working from Home

Chapel Messages:

• Why Worry?
• The Fear of a Forgetful God
• God Will Provide
• Sheep and Their Shepherd
• Principles on the Problem of Evil
• The Answer to Anxiety
• God’s Perfect Peace Plan
• Lessons from Loss
• Theology of Suffering
• Lessons from Suffering

Resources Page:

• Missio Nexus
• International Council for Evangelical Theological Education
• The Lausanne Movement
• Church Pulse
• The Psychology of Crisis (Henry Cloud)
• Insight for Living
• Chuck Swindoll’s Sermons
• XPastor
• RightNow Media

 

[Chaplain]

"Theologian John Walton joins host of the Language of God podcast, Jim Stump, to talk about the coronavirus and the problem of evil in a special live recording." (4/27/20)



"Peter Thiel is Eric Weinstein's friend and boss and there is obviously a lot of trade between them in terms of ideas. Thiel was recently with Eric Metaxas at Socrates in the City and talked about Progress. The video is well worth watching. This is not an indepth treatment of that video but rather a revisiting of the subject of how we know the good and therefore how we might imagine we can know what progress is." (4/27/20)



"The question of the historical Adam is one of the most widely discussed and debated issues today within theology, science, and philosophy. In this lively conversation, Sean brings together two leading Christian scientists, Josh Swamidass and Fazale Rana to discuss their different models for making sense of the historical Adam. " (4/26/20)

 

[Chaplain]

"Jesus is the most influential person who has ever lived. Yet amazingly, few people truly understand him from within the culture in which he lived. In this video, I interview former Muslim Abdu Murray about his new book with Ravi Zacharias: SEEING JESUS FROM THE EAST. Join us and ask live questions!" (4/29/20)

 

[Chaplain]

New Resources:

Kalam Discussion w/ Dr. Craig and Dr. Alex Malpass on Capturing Christianity

Dr. Craig and Dr. Alex Malpass discuss the second premise in Dr. Craig's formulation of the Kalam Cosmological Argument.

Unbelievable? Where do atheists get their meaning from? Zach Broom and Michael Brady

Zach Broom is the author of ‘Without God: Science, belief, morality and the meaning of life’ in which he claims that many of our most basic intuitions don’t make sense in the absence of God. The book is dedicated to his atheist friend Michael Brady, who engages with Zach on the question of whether life can have meaning in the absence of God.

The Great Physician for COVID-19

"Christ is our Great Physician, and that is a powerful identity. Doctors and nurses have been the most inspiring heroes of this season. Health-care workers brave the frontlines to care for the sick and wounded, knowing all too well the contagiousness of the virus they’re up against. They place themselves at risk of contracting, in this microbiological warfare, the very condition they seek to cure ... For Christ is the Great Physician, who drew close to care for us—the sick and wounded. He knew how contagious our condition was, yet he came. He came knowing that absorbing our affliction was the only cure." (Joshua Ryan Butler)

What Our Response to a Pandemic Reveals about Our Beliefs

"In philosophy, there are two main ways to value something. Instrumental value is assigned to something for what it does. Inherent value denotes that something is valuable in and of itself ... While instrumental value is conditional, inherent value can never be changed or negated because its value is contingent on something outside of itself. The question remains: If we as a human race value each other inherently, from whom have we inherited that value?" (Xandra Carroll)

Three Questions

Theodicy is the word given in the seventeenth century by Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz, one of the great intellectual thinkers of the Enlightenment period.(1) Theodicy attempts to explain how and why there can be suffering in the world if God is all-powerful and loving. In trying to solve this problem, some thinkers have denied the omnipotence of God; God is all-loving, but not able to do anything about suffering. Others dispense of the notion that God is all-loving, at least in any conventional understanding. But neither of these alternatives provides a satisfactory answer.

How to Walk in Wisdom in Dark Times

In a time where self-reliance and human understanding is being tested to the max, not only are we reminded of our human limitations in the face of crisis, but that we have all too often ignored God and his word to guide us into the best way of living.

Finding peace and help during the pandemic

If this global pandemic has revealed anything to us, it is the fact that we all need help. We are not so independent as we once thought we were. It might be easy to forget our current questions when life returns to whatever normal we find ourselves in. But we will still be looking for help. Surely this is a question worth giving considerable thought.

 

[Chaplain]

"Pastor Kyle Searcy continues the FAHOW "Shine: Living A Life That Matters In Eternity" sermon series with a powerful interview with 25-year-old Josh Miles and his father Willie Miles. On January 3rd Josh was rushed to the hospital after his temperature spiked to 106 degrees. His father says during the car ride to the hospital Josh lost consciousness, but Josh says he left his body and encountered hell and then heaven. When he finally reached the hospital and awoke doctors informed him he experienced a heart attack, stroke, and seizures. " (3/1/20)

 

[Chaplain]

Sermon: Job 9 - When Sheltering is a Problem (5/2/20)



Music: The UK Blessing

God is doing something wonderful among us as unity across the streams of church flows beautifully and as seekers are drawn to investigate the Christian faith. Churches around the U.K. have come together to sing a song over the nation.

Music: The Blessing // Virtual Choir

Watch the virtual choir performance of “The Blessing” from Christ Church Choir and even some special guests!

Army Chaplain under fire for sharing John Piper's book 'Coronavirus and Christ'

Twenty-two military chaplains are calling on a senior army chaplain to be disciplined and possibly court-martialed for sending nearly three-dozen other chaplains an email containing a copy of John Piper’s new e-book, Coronavirus and Christ.

Church leaders should not be talking like middle managers in this time of crisis

Rather than speaking with the voice of prophecy, rather than explaining to a grieving and anxious people how the dead will rise into the blaze of eternal life, rather than proclaiming the miracles and mysteries that they uniquely exist to proclaim, church leaders seem to have opted instead to talk like middle managers.

Wisdom and Folly in Christian Responses to Coronavirus

The wisdom literature is often rather neglected in our churches. Its sapiential character does not fit well within the narrow constraints of our information and doctrine-focused teaching. Its more open-ended and less definitive forms of knowledge unsettle the security of our dogmatisms. Its empirical and pragmatic focus discomforts our ideological abstractions and our personal detachment. Its positing of a common and knowable world shared by all human beings resists our desire to assert a Christian monopoly on truth and insight.

British public turn to prayer as one in four tune in to religious services

Young people lead resurgence of faith, and Vicar of Dibley tops a poll as the best screen priest to lead nation through the crisis

Video: How Atheists Help Make the Case for God - Philsopher Paul Copan

Naturalism—whose three fundamental tenets are materialism, determinism, and scientism—tends to be the default worldview in the academy. Yet when it comes to accounting for key features of the universe and human experience itself (the universe’s beginning and fine-tuning, consciousness, rationality, moral responsibility, etc.), it simply lacks the kind of resources that theism has in much greater measure. Furthermore, this inadequacy is reinforced by leading naturalists themselves, who actually contribute weighty reasons for God’s existence.

Why Religious Freedom Should Matter to Absolutely Everyone

Why should religious freedom matter to everyone? Because the value we put on religious liberty shows how much we really care about freedom. If you’re going to be able to work for the common good—with people from all sorts of backgrounds—the law has got to protect your freedom to live by your convictions

Audio: The Uniqueness of the Christian God (right-click/save as)

Our culture sees all religions as basically the same. But Jesus was not one among many gods but He presented Himself as unique. Nathan Betts from RZIM addresses the uniqueness of Jesus from Luke 5:1-11.

Audio: The Voice of the Martyrs - IRAN PRISONER: “By God’s Grace I Endured”

Ebrahim Firouzi, a Christian convert from Islam, has been in and out of prison in Iran since 2011. Last year he completed his most recent prison sentence, but instead of being set free and allowed to go home, Ebrahim has been banished to internal exile in Sarbaz, a city near the border with Pakistan. All of these punishments are a direct result of Ebrahim’s conversion from Islam to follow Jesus and his faithful witness for Christ. This week, speaking from exile, Ebrahim shares his testimony and gives an update on his life today and God’s faithfulness during his time in prison. Multiple times, Ebrahim was given the opportunity to renounce Christ and go free; each time he refused to compromise.

Video: The Gospel According to Mark read by David Suchet

"Mark is the earliest of the Gospels, the one written closest to Jesus’ lifetime. It is short, urgent, passionate and dramatic and reads a little like a front-line despatch from Christ’s life and death. Often we hear the Gospels in short sections, but it can be a revelation to read – or hear – the whole of the story at once. Just before Holy Week, we will have a unique opportunity to hear the Gospel of Mark in its entirety, read by one of the great actors of our times in St Paul’s Cathedral. The evening will be a dramatic reading of the Gospel, without commentary. David Suchet is one of the best-known and best-loved actors of his generation. He has worked for the RSC, in the West End and on Broadway, and his most famous role is Hercule Poirot in the long-running television series. In 2011 he was awarded a CBE for services to drama, and in 2014 was given a lifetime achievement award by the Royal Television Society for his performance as Poirot. Raised without religion, he was converted by reading Romans 8 in a hotel Bible."

Edited.

 

[Scotty W]

Article: The First Hyperlinked Text: The Bible and its 63,779 Cross-References

This is pretty, and pretty interesting, but I think it is flawed at a basic level. For this to work you need to have a flat, surface level text, like Euclid’s Elements, perhaps.

But the Bible, like all great books is not flat. Metaphors can be embedded within larger image, metaphorical or metonymic structures, which can in turn be embedded in larger (or smaller) structures. Microcosm is within macrocosm, and vice versa. It is simply impossible to represent these relationships in a two dimensional representation, and dangerous perhaps, as we humans have a dangerous tendency to confuse our representations with the thing we are representing.

 

[Cutty Flam]

Has anybody ever heard of a Christian by the name of Ray Comfort? I watched a video of him and borrowed a book of his from a friend, the guy is a total moron. Just thought I’d share and see if anybody knows his work on any level

Aside from that, I’ve always wondered how prayer works. In the Bible, Jesus says I do not give to you as the world gives essentially. But I always wondered exactly what he means by that, and how God goes about answering our prayers. Sometimes we simply cannot have what we ask for, unfortunate as that can be. I just always wondered how prayer works, because sometimes things take time but I do believe God answers to those who call upon Him

 

[pLow7]

Has anybody ever heard of a Christian by the name of Ray Comfort? I watched a video of him and borrowed a book of his from a friend, the guy is a total moron. Just thought I’d share and see if anybody knows his work on any level

Aside from that, I’ve always wondered how prayer works. In the Bible, Jesus says I do not give to you as the world gives essentially. But I always wondered exactly what he means by that, and how God goes about answering our prayers. Sometimes we simply cannot have what we ask for, unfortunate as that can be. I just always wondered how prayer works, because sometimes things take time but I do believe God answers to those who call upon Him

There's a nice analogy i heard many times. Sometimes we ask god for an Apple, but we receive a pear instead. Meaning that sometimes the things we ask are not neccessarily the best for us. We see the pear and ask him why he hasn't given us what we've asked for (The apple).

 

[Shrinky Dink]

I think playing video games is heretical. Why are people playing video games when they should be loving their God?

Unless you play video games that I like, in which case it's okay.

 

[mcz117chief]

I think playing video games is heretical. Why are people playing video games when they should be loving their God?

Unless you play video games that I like, in which case it's okay.

 

[#Phonepunk#]

lol good strawman, i guess. it's not like this Christianity thread is full of people calling videogames heretical. or has anyone saying that at all, outside a silly troll post.

in fact isn't it atheist postmodernists that largely are doing the content censorship these days? you can't go a day without some SJW screaming about titties in a video game, or shaming some company for what an intern posted on social media, or not providing the adequate same sex options for romances, or having yet another white male as a hero, or etc.

the number of actual Christians i've seen calling videos games heretical = 0. that is in my entire life and i live in the Bible Belt. i went to a Baptist preschool. the closest i got was a family who was anti-Simpsons because Bart swore. if you want to find Christians who hate video games i think you are going to have to look pretty hard.

 

[mcz117chief]

lol good strawman, i guess. it's not like this Christianity thread is full of people calling videogames heretical. or has anyone saying that at all, outside a silly troll post.

in fact isn't it atheist postmodernists that largely are doing the content censorship these days? you can't go a day without some SJW screaming about titties in a video game, or shaming some company for what an intern posted on social media, or not providing the adequate same sex options for romances, or having yet another white male as a hero, or etc.

the number of actual Christians i've seen calling videos games heretical = 0. that is in my entire life and i live in the Bible Belt. i went to a Baptist preschool. the closest i got was a family who was anti-Simpsons because Bart swore. if you want to find Christians who hate video games i think you are going to have to look pretty hard.

I remember there was some talk about D&D being used as an introduction into occultism and satanism and what not by some Christian denominations, then of course there was a bit of controversy around DOOM (despite the fact that your goal is to destroy Satan and evil so wtf?) but not sure how much of it transitioned into the modern era, I would guess almost nothing and even then it would probably be some minor sects trying to get some attention.

 

[Onikaan]

What do you folks think about forgiveness and where do the parameters for forgiveness begin and end?

I'm having some trouble at the moment with people who have mistreated me and my family and I've been told to forgive them, however they have not saught my forgiveness nor even attempted to apologise. OK, so they didn't try to steal from me or kill me and as such it's probably something that can be forgiven much easier than those things. But should you just absorb every swing that comes your way, or do you have to swing back at some point to stop taking the abuse directed at you? I think about "turn the other cheek" or " If someone sues you for your shirt, give up your coat as well" which might answer my question to an extent. But Christ also MADE A WHIP and let a bunch of swindlers have it, he certainly wasn't going to turn his cheek to this desecration of the temple and arent we also the temple of God? So why should we put up with the misdeeds of others without retaliation?

If there is a line, where is it drawn?

Thoughts? Thanks.

 

[Chaplain]

If there is a line, where is it drawn? Thoughts? Thanks.

I will point you in the right direction and let others chime in to fill the missing pieces.

"The world is strafed with horrific wrongs: terrorism, rape, torture, abuse, betrayal, injustice, prejudice, ethnic cleansing and more. When saturated with pain, people coalesce around wrongs done. Seeking retribution or vengeance fuels more hatred, fear, self-righteousness and wrongdoing. Is it any wonder that forgiveness can seem more repugnant than retaliation. So let’s be clear, forgiveness is not a human idea— it’s God’s. Forgiveness is also an entirely new way of being human. It is Jesus’ way of being human. Jesus enters a world of wrongdoing with a heart that is open to love and forgive over and over again. Seventy times seven. Forgiveness is the lynchpin that makes relationships work. And it’s a lot different than pretending everything is fine when you feel stabbed in the heart and trust is down the toilet. True forgiveness is more than a high ideal. It is a costly, heartrending process that refuses to ignore or minimize wrongdoing. It places blames. It condemns the wrong. But it also gives the wrongdoer a gift. Forgiveness separate wrongdoers from their wrong by refusing to label them as all bad. It refuses to add this one injustice to the injustice done to them. A person who forgives joins his or her heart to Jesus’ heart for sinners, and risks that love can lead a wrongdoer to repentance and into the arms of God. The Spirit of Jesus inhabits every Christian. The Forgiver is alive in you and me. Part of taking up my cross is following Jesus into the deeps of forgiving. It is allowing the Spirit of Jesus to forgive through me. It’s a serious and sobering thing to stand before “Our Father in heaven” and pray “Forgive us our debts as we forgive our debtors.” To say these words is to look at the state of our heart and ask for our love to never fail. It is a prayer to become like Jesus, who for love of us didn’t hold on to his rights or his hurt. Jesus “loved his own to the end.” And he has scars in his hands and feet to prove it. Scars that heal us and give us a fresh start over and over again. When wrongdoing interrupts our life, we find places in our soul that didn’t exist before. And God comes into these spaces with compassion, forgiveness, perseverance and longsuffering love." Spiritual Disciplines Handbook, Kindle Locations 4753-4769)

An example of God's love seen in Corrie ten Boom’s story of meeting her Nazi jailer.

“It was a church service in Munich that I saw him, the former S.S. man who had stood guard at the shower room door in the processing center at Ravensbruck. He was the first of our actual jailers that I had seen since that time. And suddenly it was all there – the roomful of mocking men, the heaps of clothing, Betsie’s pain-blanched face. He came up to me as the church was emptying, beaming and bowing. “How grateful I am for your message, Fraulein,” he said. “To think that, as you say, He has washed my sins away!” His hand was thrust out to shake mine. And I, who had preached so often to the people in Bloemendaal the need to forgive, kept my hand at my side. Even as the angry, vengeful thoughts boiled through me, I saw the sin of them. Jesus Christ had died for this man; was I going to ask for more? Lord Jesus, I prayed, forgive me and help me to forgive him. I tried to smile, I struggled to raise my hand. I could not. I felt nothing, not the slightest spark of warmth or charity. And so again I breathed a silent prayer. Jesus, I cannot forgive him. Give me Your forgiveness. She then took his hand and the most incredible thing happened. From my shoulder along my arm and through my hand a current seemed to pass from me to him, while into my heart sprang a love for this stranger that almost overwhelmed me. And so I discovered that it is not on our forgiveness any more than on our goodness that the world’s healing hinges, but on His. When He tells us to love our enemies, He gives, along with the command, the love itself.”

It takes God’s supernatural love to forgive someone for what they have done. Corrie knew that her love wasn’t going to come from a feeling of wanting to love. She had to go outside of herself, to the source of love to be able to love someone who had committed evil towards her. The problem I think most people will have with this is that they will lack the faith to believe God could even do such a thing.

“Forgiveness is more like the air in your lungs. There’s only room for you to inhale the next lungful when you’ve just breathed out the previous one. If you insist on withholding it, refusing to give someone else the kiss of life they may desperately need, you won’t be able to take any more in yourself, and you will suffocate very quickly. Whatever the spiritual, moral and emotional equivalent of the lungs may be … it’s either open or closed. If it’s open, able and willing to forgive others, it will also be open to receive God’s love and forgiveness. But if it’s locked up to the one, it will be locked up to the other.” (New Testament scholar N.T. Wright, Matthew for Everyone, 39-40)

Finally, a nice summary on the topic of forgiveness:

 

[Cutty Flam]

What do you folks think about forgiveness and where do the parameters for forgiveness begin and end?

I'm having some trouble at the moment with people who have mistreated me and my family and I've been told to forgive them, however they have not saught my forgiveness nor even attempted to apologise. OK, so they didn't try to steal from me or kill me and as such it's probably something that can be forgiven much easier than those things. But should you just absorb every swing that comes your way, or do you have to swing back at some point to stop taking the abuse directed at you? I think about "turn the other cheek" or " If someone sues you for your shirt, give up your coat as well" which might answer my question to an extent. But Christ also MADE A WHIP and let a bunch of swindlers have it, he certainly wasn't going to turn his cheek to this desecration of the temple and arent we also the temple of God? So why should we put up with the misdeeds of others without retaliation?

If there is a line, where is it drawn?

Thoughts? Thanks.

No family is perfect, and if they didn’t steal from you or do any troublesome things that will damage you quickly then you will survive. I once held a grudge at my pops for his mistakes and didn’t speak to him for the better part of a year I’d say. Maybe longer but I forget. I felt ashamed of myself for what I had done. Really ashamed of what I had done. I wish I would have had forgiveness in my heart and had done the correct thing which was to understand that nobody is perfect, and that even great mistakes that damage others intentionally will be made. It’s best to find a way past it and to forgive, because if you don’t, you will miss out and have wished that you did

Another time, I had been screwed out of some money in a very odd scenario, by a friend. It wasn’t much, but enough to piss me off and hurt me since I always considered him a very level-headed and good friend. I was so filled with hate and overall in a terrible state of mind that had been filled with miserable, miserable and terrible thoughts. Truly terrible thoughts. It was like my mind was practically controlled by demons and their abominable nature was a part if my mind. It’s tough to describe, but my inability and my though tyts to turn away from forgiving him, because I valued my respect over how he wronged me more than what is right to do by God, which is to forgive. When I had finally decided to forgive and to let it go, thanks to a friend who made me see in ways that I was wrong, I was overcome with the realization of just how wrong I had been. I had been thinking such cruel thoughts toward another brother, a friend. It was evil, and I felt overwhelmed with shame, and grief for acting so selfishly and abominable. I was shocked and now fear and know just how powerful the evil in the hearts of men can get. I decided to stick closer to God if I could and that I would always try my best to forgive. I cannot explain to you how deeply ashamed of myself I was for thinking so horribly and wrongly about the way I was handling the problem. Forgiveness is God’s way. Mercy is God’s way. Any way this is God’s way is the absolute way and you should take that path. Even if you don’t understand it well, you will in time

Maybe you can explain to us more about how you have been treated unfairly and we can try to help? But it would be best to speak with God in prayer about it, and to meditate with Him in prayer thinking about how, and why it is best to forgive those that you should forgive. And you should forgive them. Try to solve the problem with your best efforts so it doesn't repeat or continue on

But I cannot stress enough, when I cane back to living more for God, and giving my hatred up for instead forgiveness, I saw how vulnerable and weak we can be without Him, and it is frightening. Stick close to God and put on the full armor of God, Jesus has shown us the way, now we must try our best to walk upright, along that narrow path. This life is difficult, but with God it can all be done

 

[pLow7]

I will point you in the right direction and let others chime in to fill the missing pieces.



An example of God's love seen in Corrie ten Boom’s story of meeting her Nazi jailer.



It takes God’s supernatural love to forgive someone for what they have done. Corrie knew that her love wasn’t going to come from a feeling of wanting to love. She had to go outside of herself, to the source of love to be able to love someone who had committed evil towards her. The problem I think most people will have with this is that they will lack the faith to believe God could even do such a thing.



Finally, a nice summary on the topic of forgiveness:

The passage from Corrie ten Boom is simply beautiful. Thank you for that.

 

[Ornlu]

What do you folks think about forgiveness and where do the parameters for forgiveness begin and end?

I'm having some trouble at the moment with people who have mistreated me and my family and I've been told to forgive them, however they have not saught my forgiveness nor even attempted to apologise. OK, so they didn't try to steal from me or kill me and as such it's probably something that can be forgiven much easier than those things. But should you just absorb every swing that comes your way, or do you have to swing back at some point to stop taking the abuse directed at you? I think about "turn the other cheek" or " If someone sues you for your shirt, give up your coat as well" which might answer my question to an extent. But Christ also MADE A WHIP and let a bunch of swindlers have it, he certainly wasn't going to turn his cheek to this desecration of the temple and arent we also the temple of God? So why should we put up with the misdeeds of others without retaliation?

If there is a line, where is it drawn?

Thoughts? Thanks.

I'd say there is a difference and distinction to be made between retribution (or vengeance), and defending yourself or others. Unfortunately, many people tend to interpret "turn the other cheek" to mean "let people beat on you forever". In my eyes, to "turn the other cheek" is to force someone with power over you to shame themselves, thus forcing the issue toward closure without resorting to the death of you or that person via "an eye for an eye" logic drawn toward it's natural conclusion.

Now, you can take what I say with a grain of salt; it's likely that not all Christians would agree with me on that. I tend to lean toward a less pacifistic Christianity than what is most commonly embraced today.

 

[Chaplain]

"Well-meaning apologist have made some big mistakes when defending the reliability of the New Testament. I interview Dr. Peter Gurry, author of Myths and Mistakes in New Testament Textual Criticism, to help correct these mistakes. Join us and ask your toughest questions about the reliability of the New Testament." (5/6/20)

 

[mcz117chief]

appropriate for today

Dang it, I forgot to like this. It is fixed now. I wholeheartedly support this

 

[Helscream]

I remember there was some talk about D&D being used as an introduction into occultism and satanism and what not by some Christian denominations, then of course there was a bit of controversy around DOOM (despite the fact that your goal is to destroy Satan and evil so wtf?) but not sure how much of it transitioned into the modern era, I would guess almost nothing and even then it would probably be some minor sects trying to get some attention.

I remember having a discussion with a friend of mine about this very subject. (Mind you the friend I am speaking of is married, and has seven children.)

The argument I made is that (not all of course), but particular games can be a entertaining way to educate young kids on morality. Defending the weak and the downtrodden, acts of kindness or selfishness to help or uplift individuals or communities. Also they can witness the repercussions of selfish or evil choices. The suffering and misery that the player character can bring to their companions or others. These things, while not real of course, can be experienced without actually having a impact on the real world. So think of it as a safe learning space.

Games like DOOM, or Diablo or [Insert Game with Demonic Iconography] are misunderstood in that when you see things like this in games you mostly see evil imagery, but the player character is clearly defined as a Champion of Good embarking on a harrowing journey to vanquish evil. Unfortunately most Christians are repulsed by satanic/demonic iconography, but fail to understand what absolute evil looks like.

When Joshua entered the land of Canaan to wage war on the Nephilim tribes to establish the land of Ancient Israel. These creatures were so utterly wicked and evil that God ordered Joshua to destroy everything, their offspring, their livestock, all their graven images and altars to evil deities (Pass thy Children through the fiery bosom of Moloch shall we?). Joshua's determination in what he was commanded to do was so strong, and his faith in God was so sure. That he asked God that the sun and moon to be still, that he could destroy all* of his enemies in one day.

Unfortunately in todays Christianity we cower and flee in the face of absolute evil instead of confronting it. End Rant.

 

[mcz117chief]

I remember having a discussion with a friend of mine about this very subject. (Mind you the friend I am speaking of is married, and has seven children.)

The argument I made is that (not all of course), but particular games can be a entertaining way to educate young kids on morality. Defending the weak and the downtrodden, acts of kindness or selfishness to help or uplift individuals or communities. Also they can witness the repercussions of selfish or evil choices. The suffering and misery that the player character can bring to their companions or others. These things, while not real of course, can be experienced without actually having a impact on the real world. So think of it as a safe learning space.

Games like DOOM, or Diablo or [Insert Game with Demonic Iconography] are misunderstood in that when you see things like this in games you mostly see evil imagery, but the player character is clearly defined as a Champion of Good embarking on a harrowing journey to vanquish evil. Unfortunately most Christians are repulsed by satanic/demonic iconography, but fail to understand what absolute evil looks like.

When Joshua entered the land of Canaan to wage war on the Nephilim tribes to establish the land of Ancient Israel. These creatures were so utterly wicked and evil that God ordered Joshua to destroy everything, their offspring, their livestock, all their graven images and altars to evil deities (Pass thy Children through the fiery bosom of Moloch shall we?). Joshua's determination in what he was commanded to do was so strong, and his faith in God was so sure. That he asked God that the sun and moon to be still, that he could destroy of his enemies in one day.

Unfortunately in todays Christianity we cower and flee in the face of absolute evil instead of confronting it. End Rant.

Would you mind terribly if I used your comment in my lectures on my university? We will soon have a lecture about "video games/movies vs. Christian morality" and I think your comment would be very insightful and useful for me as a teacher to show the students. With you permission of course.

 

[#Phonepunk#]

its interesting, i was listening to a stream last night by some Christian writers. they were talking about how we live in a Christian culture, but that it is commanded by non-Christian or anti-Christian people. people mention DOOM and D&D, there are demons and devils throughout pop culture, etc. all of these originate from Christianity, or if not originate, then at least they were older pagan things that found their way into it. demons are a part of Christian cosmology.

personally i find them fascinating, in the same way i enjoy pop fantasy. our culture has a Christian heritage, this is why demons and dragons and saviors and all kinds of things find their way into media. is there a danger of them leading you to Satan? not at all. i have read classical demonology, most of which stems from the medieval or Renaissance periods, and the communication with the spirit world was always treated as a sort of esoteric way to try to realize oneness with God. much in the way there are mystical and spiritual aspects to the practices of alchemy and astrology, yes the occult side of religion exists, but it is not about killing babies, or starting cults, or whatever your hyperventilating evening news wants to scare you into thinking. faith in God is still involved even in those rituals, for as demonstrated by Moses during his confrontation with the pharaoh's magicians, the true God is above all. He commands all. it is only by the power of God that any humans or higher or lower spirits exist or can do anything. honest and true faith in God is therefore a requirement in classical demonology. in order that one may properly command the summoned guardian angel, or stand toe to toe with a demon (who will try and use your doubt to trick you into disbelief), the human can always look to Jesus, that grand demonstration of forgiveness, of closeness from God to us humans, for confirmation. when using demonic imagery it is crucial that you believe God is still the end all be all of the spiritual hierarchy.

but the thing is, these Hollywood and tv people are people who do not believe in Christ, they do not believe in the Bible, yet they command all this imagery. so what we have is that every day we are confronted by perverted Christian imagery. look at all the tv shows making fun of Christians, look at the common trope of Christian death cults (a common theme in video games, not very common irl), there is a hunger for Christian based content but unfortunately those in control (the media class) are unbelievers. it is odd that they "don't believe in religion" yet they are obsessed with the symbols and stories, and they permeate the landscape.

in many ways, they are their own death cult. they are basically a religion; they are ideology based, they have their creeds and morality, they have their original sin (white men), they make sacrifices and seek out scapegoats, etc. like the anabaptists or flagellants, they make a concerted effort to virtue signal in public. to seek out unbelievers and cast them out. God has been replaced by a personal jesus; whether they follow Marvel or Star Wars, the Democratic party, the Extinction Rebellion, or merely the act of consuming, they dedicate their lives to some kind of abstract force that has it's own ideology, which drives behavior. these all have an apocalypse which people use to justify their actions and form their worldview. really, we live in a society of a minority of Christians dominated by anti-Christians.

when i see comic book movies i often see Christian morality, but it's twisted, written by nihilists, it says nothing, offers no real lessons or truth beyond encouraging consumption. it does not feed the soul. yet the writers know, deep down, that it is the religions of old which produced the most longest lasting stories. thus they desperately mimic epic & legendary storytelling.

the solution? just ignore them. stop consuming. consumerism is their true god. start buying second hand. start buying used. don't consume their media. create your own. i know it can seem overwhelming, but it is all illusion, you can enjoy what you want to enjoy and live perfectly fine. nobody should be guilted into consumption of any media. luckily Christians have thousands of years of some of the best produced art and architecture and literature the world has ever seen.

 

[mcz117chief]

like the anabaptists or flagellants, they make a concerted effort to virtue signal in public.

Great post, just one thing. Flagellants wore masks to hide their identities and usually whipped their backs which were hidden by shirts and other garments specifically to not be recognizable in public after. The point was public humiliation not public approval, so they went out and basically said "yeah, I screwed up, I perform penance in front of God and you".

 

[Chaplain]

"Join ARPA Canada’s Director of Law & Policy, in conversation with philosopher and theologian Rev. Dr. Joe Boot and legal scholar and executive director of the Christian Legal Fellowship Derek Ross, in conversation about the impacts of government regulations on fundamental freedoms and how we can evaluate that through a lens of sphere sovereignty." (5/6/20)

 

[Helscream]

Would you mind terribly if I used your comment in my lectures on my university? We will soon have a lecture about "video games/movies vs. Christian morality" and I think your comment would be very insightful and useful for me as a teacher to show the students. With you permission of course.

I don't mind. If anything I say can help people open their eyes to the truth. Then feel free to use what I say.

but the thing is, these Hollywood and tv people are people who do not believe in Christ, they do not believe in the Bible, yet they command all this imagery. so what we have is that every day we are confronted by perverted Christian imagery. look at all the tv shows making fun of Christians, look at the common trope of Christian death cults (a common theme in video games, not very common irl), there is a hunger for Christian based content but unfortunately those in control (the media class) are unbelievers. it is odd that they "don't believe in religion" yet they are obsessed with the symbols and stories, and they permeate the landscape.

in many ways, they are their own death cult. they are basically a religion; they are ideology based, they have their creeds and morality, they have their original sin (white men), they make sacrifices and seek out scapegoats, etc. like the anabaptists or flagellants, they make a concerted effort to virtue signal in public. to seek out unbelievers and cast them out. God has been replaced by a personal jesus; whether they follow Marvel or Star Wars, the Democratic party, the Extinction Rebellion, or merely the act of consuming, they dedicate their lives to some kind of abstract force that has it's own ideology, which drives behavior. these all have an apocalypse which people use to justify their actions and form their worldview. really, we live in a society of a minority of Christians dominated by anti-Christians.

when i see comic book movies i often see Christian morality, but it's twisted, written by nihilists, it says nothing, offers no real lessons or truth beyond encouraging consumption. it does not feed the soul. yet the writers know, deep down, that it is the religions of old which produced the most longest lasting stories. thus they desperately mimic epic & legendary storytelling.

What I think Christians fail to realize is that Jesus is quite literally the original, origin, and originator of the Hero concept. Mankind has always depicted a great savior or hero to save the world, or be the hero themselves. I would dare say that the trope of the hero getting the hot babe at the end is a metaphor for Jesus and His bride. Humanity has this inner-most desire for heroic figures performing impossible feats. All of this is simply a poor imitation of the original hero story.

David Flynn (whom has passed away years back) talked about Angels, and how their literally Hebrew meaning is messager. That even though angels are magnificent beings, with their own abilities and free will. It is in their very nature to being a messager. Humanity, despite all we are able to do have a inner most desire to worship. Some worship wisdom, knowledge, reason, or science. Many ancient people were obsessed with the male and female sexual organs. Some people in the western world are so self-centered that individualism is their god, as they only worship themselves. Mankind has, does, and will always worship something. Be as anti-faith or atheist as you wish, you will always worship something.

Its certainly a deep rabbit hole, but I think you get my point.

 

[mcz117chief]

I don't mind. If anything I say can help people open their eyes to the truth. Then feel free to use what I say.

Thank you very much

What I think Christians fail to realize is that Jesus is quite literally the original, origin, and originator of the Hero concept. Mankind has always depicted a great savior or hero to save the world, or be the hero themselves. I would dare say that the trope of the hero getting the hot babe at the end is a metaphor for Jesus and His bride. Humanity has this inner-most desire for heroic figures performing impossible feats. All of this is simply a poor imitation of the original hero story.

What about the legends from before the time Jesus came to Earth? Greek, Roman, Sumerian, Indian, Chinese and other legends depicting heroic feats. They are even mentioned in the Bible Genesis 6:4 The Nephilim were on the earth in those days—and also afterward—when the sons of God went to the daughters of humans and had children by them. They were the heroes of old, men of renown.

 

[autoduelist]

Not Christian, I'm atheistic agnostic. Listened to a great reading of Revelation last week, then a solid two hour breakdown/explanation of it that wasn't preachy but simply explained potential meanings of the symbology.

Onto Daniel next, I think.

I find it interesting that the overall messaging seems to be quite anti-globalist, which I can fully relate to.

 

[Chaplain]

Onto Daniel next, I think.

If you end up reading Daniel, Oxford Professor John Lennox's discussions on Daniel are phenomenal for understanding the book:

 

[Ornlu]

Thank you very much

What about the legends from before the time Jesus came to Earth? Greek, Roman, Sumerian, Indian, Chinese and other legends depicting heroic feats. They are even mentioned in the Bible Genesis 6:4 The Nephilim were on the earth in those days—and also afterward—when the sons of God went to the daughters of humans and had children by them. They were the heroes of old, men of renown.

Agreed; Jesus is definitely not the world's first hero, unless someone were to argue that by virtue of being God, Jesus was around before any normal mortal heroes. Even looking at the Bible one could point to many heroes that appear before Jesus. Moses, David (maybe an antihero or flawed hero), Joseph, Daniel, Esther come to mind just off of the top of my head. John the Baptist was the precursor hero for Jesus, as well.

 

[Chaplain]

New Resources:

Sermon: Special Mother's Day Service (5/9/20)



Video: Prominent clergy, laity issue statement exposing coronavirus plot for 'world govt'

Archbishop Viganò, who gathered the signatures and communicated with Cardinal Sarah about the initiative, has now issued a timeline of his communications with Sarah. New story coming imminently.

Sermon: Enoch: Fact-Checking Your Walk - Hebrews 11:5-6

How busy were you before the coronavirus pandemic? Was your work piling up with looming deadlines? Did your family have a full calendar? Many have discovered that we were moving too fast before life suddenly came to a halt. Even in ministry we can move too fast. The pandemic has forced us to slow down and evaluate our priorities. In this teaching, Skip Heitzig looks to Enoch to demonstrate how you have a powerful testimony by simply walking with God day after day.

Video: Biblical Mothers | Ruth: Loyal Love | Mother's Day | Alanzo Julian Paul

While this is an unprecedented #MothersDay in the US and Canada due to the impact of COVID-19, Alanzo Julian Paul seeks to bring encouragement through the Book of Ruth where we see tragedy, triumph, and hope.

Video: Biblical Mothers | Eunice: The Fruits of Faithfulness | Mother's Day | Brandon Cleaver

Over the next few days leading up to Mother's Day in the US and Canada, four team members share reflections on our website about women in the Bible. Today, Brandon Cleaver reflects on a woman who is mentioned only once in the Bible, yet whose influence has historically been incalculable.

Video: Biblical Mothers | Priscilla: Spiritual Motherhood | Mother's Day | Xandra Carroll

Mothers Day is a day of celebration, but it's also a day when many people feel left behind. Xandra Carroll talks about this today in the context of the biblical character Priscilla.

Video: Were the apostles martyred for their faith? Sean McDowell vs Paulogia

Would the followers of Jesus have been willing to suffer and die for something they knew to be false? Can we be historically confident they were martyred at all?

3 Promises for Every Woman This Mother’s Day

The Isaiah 54 Mother is given three precious promises, promises that are offered to each and every one of us regardless of our physical and maternal status.

What I’ve Learned from the Mothers I Photograph

Here are some photos that try to do that—dignifying and bearing witness to six remarkable moms I’ve been fortunate enough to photograph.

Podcast: A Woman of Substance – Mother

On this special occasion of Mother’s Day, Dr Kethoser (Aniu) Kevichusa expounds on the ideal “Woman of Substance” in Proverbs 31, and her moral, domestic, economic, social, intellectual, and spiritual life.

Investigation: Where is the Ark of the Covenant?

Intrepid explorer Chris Sinkinson goes on a virtual world tour in search of the most valuable wooden box on earth

Why there are more disabled leaders in the Bible than you think

Ros Bayes takes a fresh look at some of the Bible's most well known stories

Four Clarifying (I Hope) Thoughts on the Complementarian Conversation

There are lot of questions worth asking. We should be clear about the questions we mean to answer without denigrating or altogether ignoring other important questions.

It's 75 years since Churchill told MPs to thank God for victory

On VE Day, Major General Roddy Porter MBE shares a reflection on victory, rebuilding and what it means for today's world, especially in the light of coronavirus

 

[Cutty Flam]

Matthew 10:34-37

34 “Do not suppose that I have come to bring peace to the earth. I did not come to bring peace, but a sword.

35 For I have come to turn “ ‘a man against his father, a daughter against her mother, a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law—

36 a man’s enemies will be the members of his own household.’

37“Anyone who loves their father or mother more than me is not worthy of me; anyone who loves their son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me.

Always was thinking about this one kind of often? What’s the teaching behind it in your guys’ perspectives?

 

[Teslerum]

Matthew 10:34-37

34 “Do not suppose that I have come to bring peace to the earth. I did not come to bring peace, but a sword.

35 For I have come to turn “ ‘a man against his father, a daughter against her mother, a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law—

36 a man’s enemies will be the members of his own household.’

37“Anyone who loves their father or mother more than me is not worthy of me; anyone who loves their son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me.

Always was thinking about this one kind of often? What’s the teaching behind it in your guys’ perspectives?

Uhm, exactly what it says?

Jesus came to preach the word of god, he came to take our sins onto him, he came to give us hope (among soo many other things). He's simply strengthening here (again) that getting distracted by worldly things, doesn't help. Even family. So, yes. He didn't bring us *Ohhhh everyone's happy and smiiiiiiiiiling and shit*, because thats neither how the world works or what we are. He brought us a sword. But not a sword used for bloodshed. Its a sword to take us to our father.

Without context of course this would sound like he somehow rallies you against your family. But that's ignoring so many other parts of the gospel that it's intellectually dishonest. Love your parents, love your siblings. But Gods love is a whole other level.

 

[Cutty Flam]

T Teslerum Thanks brother, very well said. I never had very religious parents or any kind of religious upbringing so basically I only know a very small amount about the Bible and Jesus. I know more about Jesus than the Bible because I have a book of Jesus’s teachings and quotes, all His words spoken throughout his life that we were given

I was blessed to find this book one day when I visited a Borders Bookstore that was closing down in my hometown, with my sister and her boyfriend, both of whom are avid readers. I cherish that book and the memory of that day because without it I’m not so sure I would even be alive had God not reached out that day and blessed me. My learning about God and Jesus began on that day when I was 19. I perused the entire store and didn’t see anything that I wanted. But then I saw that book and read, and the truth of it stuck out to me. It was the only book I bought that day I think. But as far as I’m concerned, that book has helped me in ways I can never fully express adequately. I should say Jesus and our Father, has helped me in ways that words will not do justice in the slightest. The only way I can repay is to hopefully lead a life to the best of my ability that will show God’s glory to others

Thanks again for teaching me, most aren’t willing to give such in-depth insight these days. Very good post

 

[pLow7]

Matthew 10:34-37

34 “Do not suppose that I have come to bring peace to the earth. I did not come to bring peace, but a sword.

35 For I have come to turn “ ‘a man against his father, a daughter against her mother, a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law—

36 a man’s enemies will be the members of his own household.’

37“Anyone who loves their father or mother more than me is not worthy of me; anyone who loves their son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me.

Always was thinking about this one kind of often? What’s the teaching behind it in your guys’ perspectives?

Following God's path means following God's path and nothing else. Following Gods path could lead to famalies getting divided.
Think of a muslim guy who converts to christianity and in the process getting expelled by his family.

What Jesus is trying to say is, that following him is not easy and we should be prepared to leave everything behind for him. This connects nicely to the rich and the kingdom of god and to Marc 8:34

Then he called the crowd to him along with his disciples and said: “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me.

Getting the priorities straight to Jesus and nothing else, because as it's written:

But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.

 

[Teslerum]

Think of a muslim guy who converts to christianity and in the process getting expelled by his family.

Ha, I just wanted to post this as an example.

Muslim converts are currently the best and most impressive example you can bring up. Impressive because I know guys in the west that stood before their own grave (because their family symbolically buried them) and they still went back to their homeland and began forming christian communities and began preaching the gospel. Religious persecution be damned and with a fire in their heart to turn that hate into love through showing others christ.

We could take a big example from them. I don't know if I would be able to do that if it was asked of me. Still a long way to go.

 

[Airola]

Matthew 10:34-37

34 “Do not suppose that I have come to bring peace to the earth. I did not come to bring peace, but a sword.

35 For I have come to turn “ ‘a man against his father, a daughter against her mother, a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law—

36 a man’s enemies will be the members of his own household.’

37“Anyone who loves their father or mother more than me is not worthy of me; anyone who loves their son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me.

Always was thinking about this one kind of often? What’s the teaching behind it in your guys’ perspectives?

He just tells the truth.
His message will not make everyone happy and his message will cause so much anger and discomfort in our sinful lives that even sons will go against their fathers.

And obviously if you would choose your mother instead of getting saved, or if your mother would choose you instead of her getting saved, neither of you would not be saved. So it's good to understand the priorities. Connection to the ultimate reason for existence is the most important thing.

 

[DunDunDunpachi]

I find it interesting that the overall messaging seems to be quite anti-globalist, which I can fully relate to.

Tower of Babel is one of the original anti-globalist stories. And a recurring theme in the old testament is examination of the flaws of earthly governance. Songs and proverbs are written about not trusting in the might of the king. In Exodus, God writes Law on a tablet and hothead Moses smashes them in anger. God offers to speak to the nation through Samuel but they demand a king instead (who sucks). God then offers to live in their temple and even tells them how to build it. Yet within 4 generations the earthly kingdom of God's People splits into two, permanently. The Bible is constantly telling stories about failed governments, dumb citizens, and bad kings. That's probably one big reason why it endures.

Anyway, this cycle of peace offering from God -> disappointing outcome -> exile -> peace offering repeats through the o.t. until Christ, who is our "final" peace offering to reconcile mankind's earthly existence with God's heavenly expectations.

One nuance of christianity that often goes missed (and the christian church is to blame) is that the goal of the religion is to surrender authority to God, not to build an earthly authority to carry out God's commands. The underlying goal isn't to build up an "earthy kingdom" but to pave the way for God's kingdom (which comes from within). The goal is to elevate the earthly soul toward heavenly things, not to claim heavenly authority when carrying out "earthly" things (i.e. not to build an authoritarian-state structure that uses religion to control the populace). The ideal permeates our literature, our legal system, our culture, and it's fascinating to trace a lot of this stuff back to the good ol' Bible.