Support NeoGAF

[DunDunDunpachi]

 

[VN1X]

Start listening to amazing Christian metal bands like my favorite band of all time, Tourniquet

Spoiler: Lyrics

Vision from the past
As you see yourself floating to shore
Tragedy that the water depth wasn't
Three feet more
Diving from the cliff
Never thought it would come to this
Incoherent utterance
"Don't move the body like this"

Years later in the metal chair
Passing day after day
Bitterness permeates everything I do and say
What kind of God would do a thing like this?
Ruin my life
God's got a funny sense of humor
When it comes to strife
The way, mind and heart of God
Are certainly mysterious
"My plans are not your plans"
But remember this
That everything I do I do in love
To bring you closer to me
No matter what your problems or
Circumstances happen to be

When you put away bitterness
You will see what you have missed

Spoiler: Lyrics

The fallacy impinging on mankind
Prevalent throughout aeons
Good and evil equally matched
Sicker yet, that perniciousness will reign

Satan, a dog on a leash
Subject to the will and restrictions of the Father
Incommensurate

Lucifer, Mephistopheles, the Serpent, Belial
Brought to life by the great I AM as an angel of light
Pride, his downfall, cast down from Heaven
Cursed to eat the dust of the earth

The tempter was created by a God you deem fictitious
In a book that you call lies
Make up your mind
Prevaricator, larcenist, blinder of the world
Deceiving fallen man into knowledge of the damned

Obvious now, the notion absurd
Incommensurate
The leash is short but not for long
Permanent incarceration imminent

Agnus dei, the lamb of God defeated sin and grave
His death and resurrection
His plan in sovereign grace

Why el diablo que los engañaba fue lanzado al lago
De fuego why azufre, donde tambien
Estan la bestia why el falso profeta
Why alli seran atormentados dia why noche
Por los siglos de los siglos

Don't want to go off-topic here but some of my favourite Metal bands happen to be Christian-inspired/oriented!

 

[Chaplain]

New Resources:

The State, freedom of conscience and civil disobedience.

"It is therefore a legal and moral duty for the Church to challenge the jurisprudential and ethical authority of the state to have set a precedent in the authoritarian closing of churches and prohibition of worship."

The Kampf Of The Woke

In Mein Kampf, Hitler divides humanity into three categories: Founders of Culture, Bearers of Culture, and Destroyers of Culture. He regards Jews as Destroyers, writing that Jews only stick together for the purpose of robbing non-Jews: So it absolutely wrong to infer any ideal sense of sacrifice in the Jews from the fact that they stand together in struggle, or, better expressed, in the plundering of their fellow men. The Jew, wrote Hitler, is “only and always a parasite in the body of other peoples.” As we have seen, this idea that Jews violate Aryan bodies was well-established in German mass society by the time Hitler took it up. So now we have National Book Award-winning Ta-Nehisi Coates arguing that white people exist as a syndicate to plunder black people, and to violate their bodies. And these racist tropes are accepted without pushback by the progressive mainstream.

On the First Principles of Moral Reason

...Thomas Aquinas held that some things are the same in all both as to rectitude and knowledge—or as J. Budziszewski likes to put it, some things are both right for all and known to all. Aquinas did not, of course, mean that this knowledge was conscious or formulated. So far as his claim is concerned, the knowledge in question may be latent and inchoate—built into or impressed upon the very frame of human reason. And it may be the sort of knowledge by means of which, for instance, we know the wrongness of murder without knowing that we know (classical natural law does not presuppose the sort of internalist epistemology that we find in Descartes or Locke).

Understanding What Is Happening in America: A Christian Response

America paid for and repented of the sins of slavery and racism long ago. And a tenet central to the Christian faith—and, incidentally the Fifth Amendment of the Constitution—is that one is not tried twice for the same offense.

Video: Biblical History: Fact or Fancy? - Dr. Steven Collins

Dr. Steven Collins serves as the dean of the College of Archaeology at Veritas International University and a consulting research professor at Trinity Southwest University. He is also the director of the Tall el-Hammam Excavation Project in Jordan, which is believed to be the location of Sodom. In his teaching "Biblical History: Fact or Fancy?" Dr. Collins explains the importance of biblical reliability and history as we live by biblical principles in a world that has largely failed to embrace the Bible as truth.

 

[Tesseract]

thanks for that third link, always enjoy aquinas' theories of moral principle

 

[Newly Vacant]

DunDunDunpachi Chaplain Tesseract

I wanted to thank you for the links posted in this thread. Lately it's been too easy to fall into despair, and having a thread full of hope and thoughtfulness has been a godsend. Literally, most likely. I don't think I have anything to contribute besides my thanks. So, thank you all.

 

[Chaplain]

DunDunDunpachi Chaplain Tesseract

I wanted to thank you for the links posted in this thread. Lately it's been too easy to fall into despair, and having a thread full of hope and thoughtfulness has been a godsend. Literally, most likely. I don't think I have anything to contribute besides my thanks. So, thank you all.

You are so welcome, bro! Times are definitely difficult for everyone in some way, shape, or form (almost everyone that I know has dealt with despair since the lockdowns began). Grief, anxiety, and despair have overtaken 36% of Americans (do not know worldwide numbers), so we are bound to come into contact with someone or experience hopelessness ourselves because this is Satan's aim to keep people in bondage and not dependant on our Lord. However, even though we are socially distanced from one another around the world we can encourage each other through the internet and relieve some of the burdens we will be dealing with from time to time until this year ends.

 

[Chaplain]

New Resources:

Video: "What is real out there? What’s ultimately real? The yearning of the human heart goes beyond the stomach. Ravi Zacharias, in his address at the RZIM National Conference held in Kolkata in January 2000, shows the way to move away from materialism, utilitarianism and the pantheistic view to a status of forgiveness offered at the Cross by Christ."



Video: Final Justice: The Return of Christ, Part 2



Video: No Question Off Limits | Nathan Betts, Jo Vitale, Alanzo Julian Paul, Logan Gates | REBOOT Digital



Video: Coffee Break - 1 John 2:1-2 - Jon Courson



Video: "David Barton of Wallbuilders, a man who knows this country's history inside and out, shares thoughts about the current climate of unrest that's rocking this nation and threatening to fundamentally transform it."



Video: "State closure of the churches? Politics & the discerning of the spirits. Catholic Unscripted 13 Dr Gavin Ashenden."



The Measure of Mankind

“In direct contradiction [to the Greek world], Christianity was to introduce the notion that humanity was fundamentally identical, that people were equal in dignity—an unprecedented idea at the time, and one to which our world owes its entire democratic inheritance.” ~ Luc Ferry (French atheist philosopher)

Edited

 

[Tesseract]

 

[Chaplain]

New Resources:

Video: "Join Andy Bannister and Gavin Matthews from Solas for this second series of webinars which began on 29th June 2020 where we explore how to share your faith in the face of tough questions. Our webinars are designed to encourage and equip Christians to share their faith with confidence and credibility. As we engage with some of the issues of the day from a Christian perspective, we also find that people of all-faiths and none join us to find out more. " (7/9/20)



Video: "Was the word "homosexual" invented to suppress gay people? Does it misrepresent the intentions of the original writers? In this interview, Preston Sprinkle unpacks the biblical reasons for the modern translations regarding sexuality." (7/8/20)



Video: "What about social media and meme culture? Was Jesus invented in 325AD?" (7/9/2)



Video: "In this very personal podcast, Frank reveals the lessons he’s learned from his Father’s recent death. He also reflect on C.S. Lewis’s argument from desire, and how Christianity makes the best sense of our intuitions." (7/5/20)



A Beginner’s Guide to The Argument from Mathematics

"An atheist response will be that much of the mathematics which humans have created has been done in a ‘co-evolutionary’ way along with our understanding of the natural world. In some cases that is indeed true. However, this is not true in all cases. A theistic response is to say that we are made in the image of God. Broadly speaking theologians have thought of the image of God as a combination of ‘the three Rs’: Reason, Relationship and Regency. Relationship, in terms of our ability to have deep relationships with others and with God. Regency, in terms of our stewardship of the world we live in. And Reason, in terms of the fact that we can reason deeply about both God, His creation, and our place within it. Thus, for the theist, the mathematics we create describes the physical world because both our mind and the created order were made by God." (7/6/20)

Video: "How do you share your faith in an increasingly post-Christian world? This week Drs. Crystal and David C. Downing sit down with leaders from C.S. Lewis Institute to discuss the challenges of defending the faith and making disciples in today’s intellectual climate. President Joel S. Woodruff and Karl “KJ” Johnson, Director of the C.S. Lewis Institute in Chicago, explain the genesis of their organization and how it seeks to live out the legacy of C.S. Lewis." (4/3/20)



Video: "What did C.S. Lewis say about pain and suffering? Max McLean, who has written and starred in several C.S. Lewis productions, reveals the best from Lewis and answers your questions." (5/8/20)



Video: "On Friday, April 24th The Trinity Forum hosted Senior Fellow and history professor Dr. Joseph Loconte to discuss the friendship and legacy of C.S. Lewis and J.R.R. Tolkien. Loconte highlights how their refusal to become disillusioned and disenchanted in the aftermath of World War I allowed for some of the greatest works of literature in modern history. Their example of resilience and imagination is especially inspiring for us in the midst of this pandemic." (4/25/20)



Video: "When this broadcast was made, Nazism was at the Zenith of it power. Freedom & democracy had been wiped from continental Europe due to an agreement between Hitler & Stalin, that divided Poland - the Nazis only remaining enemy in the east. This allowed Hitler to turn on the Western Allies with full force without fear. With the West won, Hitler turned on Stalin. The self-proclaimed “supermen”, Nazis & Communists, were now locked in a life-and-death struggle as to which brand would triumph." 6/26/20)



Edited

 

[Chaplain]

"Dr. Mike Licona and Laura Robinson discuss what historical investigation can reveal about the Resurrection of Jesus. Laura is a Duke PhD candidate in New Testament and is the co-host of the New Testament Review Podcast. Mike has a Ph.D. in New Testament (University of Pretoria). He is an associate professor in theology at Houston Baptist University and the president of Risen Jesus, Inc." (7/9/20)

 

[Chaplain]

New Resources:

Video: "Catholic Unscripted# 14 Church, virus and iconoclasm. Gavin Ashenden, Jules Gomes and Rodney Hearth." (7/10/20)



Video: "Mathematician and philosopher John Lennox has a new and forward-looking book, 2084: Artificial Intelligence and the Future of Humanity — just what will the world look like a hundred years after the predicted dystopia found in Orwell's 1984?" (7/9/20)



Video: 1 Corinthians 15:20-34 (7/9/20)



Video: "Jackie Hill Perry, Melissa Kruger, and Jasmine Holmes talk about how to offer genuine hospitality in an inhospitable world. Please note that this conversation on hospitality was pre-recorded before the COVID-19 pandemic. We hope this conversation encourages you to show hospitality once it is safe to gather again." (7/9/20)



Video: "Prize-winning author Francis Spufford discusses his book ‘Unapologetic: Why despite everything Christianity can still make surprising emotional sense’ with famed atheist writer Philip Pullman in this replay of their 2012 conversation." (7/10/20)



Was Jesus Perfect?

"CNN’s Don Lemon yesterday interviewed New York State Governor, Andrew Cuomo. During the conversation on racism, statues, and slavery, Mr Lemon came out with this rather bold assertion about Jesus, “But here’s the thing, Jesus Christ, if you believe — if that’s what you believe in, Jesus Christ, admittedly, was not perfect when he was here on this Earth.” Mr Lemon was using Jesus as an example of why it’s wrong to ‘deify’ America’s founders. He continued, “So why are we deifying the fathers of this country, many of whom owned slaves, and in the Constitution – the original one – they didn’t want — they put slavery in there, that slavery should be abolished because it was the way the king wanted.” (7/10/20)

Francis Collins: The Christian scientist looking for a Covid-19 vaccine

Renowned geneticist Dr Francis Collins recently won the Templeton Prize for his work reconciling science and faith. Now he faces a new challenge – defeating Covid-19

“Imagine There’s No Heaven”: Socialism Is Atheism Masquerading as Political Philosophy

"Historically, socialist regimes have sought the expulsion of Christianity from public life for a reason that is sometimes lost on Christians themselves. Christianity is, by its very nature, subversive insofar as it teaches that there is a God whose laws supersede those of man—any man. As theologian Francis Schaeffer insisted a generation ago, no totalitarian or authoritarian state can tolerate a people who say that they have an absolute universal standard by which all men and governments are judged. Socialist and fascist regimes well understand that Christians do not recognize the state as the final arbiter of truth. Moreover, where temporal law and eternal law are in conflict, the Christian may in good conscience violate the former while clinging to the latter. That is, after all, how America was founded." (7/8/20)

 

[Chaplain]

New resources:

Audio: "In spite of the COVID-19 pandemic in China, the government’s focus on persecuting Christians and closing churches hasn’t faded. In fact, there’s been an increase in persecution in recent months as Chinese Communist Party leaders continue their efforts to control the hearts and minds of the people. Churches have been closed. Pastors have been arrested. But Chinese Christians are responding with boldness, finding new ways to spread the gospel even amidst pandemic and persecution." (7/11/20)



Video: "Christians are often accused of ignoring evidence, and trusting subjective experience. Did this atheist actually say evidence wouldn't convince him, but he'd rather have a subjective experience?" (7/7/20)



Video: "Bestselling author, Gary Thomas, says it took him years to figure out that some people are just plain toxic. They don't respond to love, to correction or to direction. Gary shares how to walk away from toxic people at work, in your family and in life, and why the traditional Christian response of "just love them more" isn't really that Christian." (5/29/20)



Video" Dr. Vince Vitale, RZIM's Regional Director for the Americas and Director of the Zacharias Institute, poses an uncomfortable question: “Can we handle the truth?” Vince makes the case that now, more than ever before, we are confused and in fear of the truth. " (7/11/20)



Video: "The Word of God and Service (Selected Scripture)" (7/10/20)



Video: "While it feels that life has been put on hold around the world, our world seems to be changing faster than we could have imagined only months ago. Leadership at times like this is challenging, and is needed as never before. The questions as to who we can trust and what is trustworthy resurface with a new edge to them." (6/11/20)



Video: "The coronavirus (COVID-19) is changing how we live our daily lives. As relational beings we have been forced to social distance and the virus has significantly impacted our economy. Where is God in a coronavirus world? How should we respond?" (6/22/20)



Video: "Leadership vs. Authority" (4/23/20)



Article: White Fragility Is Pro-Racism

"In the book, DiAngelo says: “[white fragility] is rooted in the false but widespread belief that racial discrimination can only be intentional…the simplistic idea that racism is limited to individual intentional acts committed by unkind people is at the root of virtually all white defensiveness on this topic.” That is a complete rejection of the biblical and logical definition for racism. Racism is biblically defined as a form of partiality or hatred against another person because of their skin colour. The Bible says: “show no partiality as you hold the faith in our Lord Jesus Christ, the Lord of glory…have you not then made distinctions among yourselves and become judges with evil thoughts? (James 2:1Open in Logos Bible Software (if available), 4Open in Logos Bible Software (if available)) Racism is always an intentional and unkind thought or deed. That isn’t a simplistic definition of racism by white people. That isn’t even a simplistic definition of racism by me. That’s a simple, scriptural definition of racism by God. Nevertheless, citing another anti-racist, DiAngelo says: “Racism is a systemic, societal, institutional, omnipresent, and epistemologically embedded phenomenon that pervades every vestige of our reality. For most whites, however, racism is like murder: the concept exists, but someone has to commit it in order for it to happen. This limited view of such a multilayered syndrome cultivates the sinister nature of racism and, in fact, perpetuates racist phenomena rather than eradicates them.” In other words, according to anti-racists, the biblical and logical definition of racism as an intentional act is actually racist. And yet, they don’t seem to notice their inconsistent thinking. If racism isn’t an intentional act, then why is my intentional definition of racism racist? If racism is morally ambiguous as Robin DiAngelo claims throughout the book, then how can it be sinister? If racism is sinister, then aren’t the perpetrators of racism sinners?" (7/10/20)

 

[Chaplain]

New Resources:

Sermon: "Hello, I'm God!" (7/11/20)

"The Lord came down in a cloud, stood with him there, and proclaimed His name Yahweh. Then the Lord passed in front of him and proclaimed: Yahweh—Yahweh is a compassionate and gracious God, slow to anger and rich in faithful love and truth, maintaining faithful love to a thousand generations, forgiving wrongdoing, rebellion, and sin. But He will not leave the guilty unpunished, bringing the consequences of the fathers’ wrongdoing on the children and grandchildren to the third and fourth generation. Moses immediately bowed down to the ground and worshiped. Then he said, “My Lord, if I have indeed found favor in Your sight, my Lord, please go with us. Even though this is a stiff-necked people, forgive our wrongdoing and sin, and accept us as Your own possession.” (Exodus 34:5-9)

Video: "Tim Keller | Prayer in the Psalms: Discovering How to Pray" (7/12/20)



Video: "N.T. Wright and Francis Collins: A Christian Response To Coronavirus" (7/12/20)

"This live stream event, moderated by host Jim Stump, will feature Wright’s new book, God and the Pandemic: A Christian Reflection on the Coronavirus and Its Aftermath. Collins, who heads our country’s biomedical research, will also share the latest on COVID-19. Viewers will also have the opportunity to ask questions! N.T. Wright is a globally renowned New Testament scholar, Pauline theologian, and Anglican bishop. He is considered to be one of the most respected theologians and Christian apologists in the world. Francis Collins is the Director of the National Institutes of Health and works closely with Dr. Anthony Fauci, a key White House advisor on the national health crisis. He also wrote the bestselling book The Language of God, which led to the creation of BioLogos."

Edited

 

[VN1X]

I know I said earlier that organized religion wouldn't be for me but this still remains a rather sad affair:



Turning churches into mosques? Taking down crosses? church attendance lowering every week? etc. That's just the tip of the iceberg. All seems kind of mental to me.

 

[Chaplain]

I know I said earlier that organized religion wouldn't be for me but this still remains a rather sad affair:



Turning churches into mosques? Taking down crosses? church attendance lowering every week? etc. That's just the tip of the iceberg. All seems kind of mental to me.

It is mental. Strange what our Lord is permitting right now.

 

[#Phonepunk#]

That church was a museum and long before that it was. Mosque. It has changed to serve many functions over the centuries.

Church attendance being in decline is not surprising given that US churches are being fined by activist governors for simply holding service. My friend was not allowed to go to a family funeral because 10 people was the max.

Yet the governor allows mass protests of thousands in the streets? Separation of chutch and state has been broken and the state is now ordering people not to practice their religion.

So there is a global pandemic and a legal war on church attendance, no wonder it is down.

This isn’t just the church it’s the whole world. Tell me movie theatres are doing any better.

 

[-Minsc-]

This isn’t just the church it’s the whole world. Tell me movie theatres are doing any better.

Before COVID-19 I was attending church in a movie theatre....

 

[Chaplain]

New Resources:

How Early Christianity was Mocked for Welcoming Women

Sociologist Rodney Stark estimates that perhaps 2/3 of the Christianity community during the second-century was made up of women. This is the exact opposite of the ratio in the broader Greco-Roman world where women only made up about 1/3 of the population. This means that women intentionally left the religious systems of the Greco-Roman world with which they were familiar and consciously decided to join the burgeoning Christian movement. No one forced them to do so. No one made them become Christians.

The Subjective Indignation of the Social Justice Movement

A believer whose indignation is provoked by the skin color or ethnicity of the victim of a perceived injustice is walking in darkness. In other words, he or she is spiritually blind. They are guilty of the exact opposite of what Jesus commands in John 7:24, “Do not judge according to appearance, but judge with righteous judgment.” Such sinful resentment has rendered them completely oblivious to the fact that God has forgiven them of their own manifold sins which, as the prophet Micah declares, have been cast by God into the depths of the sea (Micah 7:18-20). It is against that blessed reality that we must remind ourselves that we are in no position to condemn anyone (Luke 6:37-38).

Video: God and Mathematics

“Scientists do not use mathematics merely as a convenient way of organising the data. They believe that mathematical relationships reflect real aspects of the physical world. Science relies on the assumption that we live in an ordered Universe that is subject to precise mathematical laws. Thus, the laws of physics, ... are all expressed as mathematical equations.” - Paul Davies

Podcast: Our Mundane Moments Matter

“We don’t do very many grand and significant things in our life. Most of us will not be written up in history books. Most of us will only be remembered by family and perhaps a few friends. Most of us will be forgotten in two or three generations after our deaths. There simply are not many grand moments of life, and we surely don’t live life in those moments. No, we live life in the utterly mundane. We exist in the bathrooms, bedrooms, living rooms, and hallways of life. This is where the character of our life is set. This is where we live the life of faith.” ~ Paul Tripp

Eric Gaudion: Suffering with the most painful condition known to humanity

Church leader Eric Gaudion endured one of the most painful conditions known to humanity for 22 years. He was admitted to hospital more than 100 times and went through 30 surgeries before a groundbreaking transplant gave him his life back. In this interview with Sam Hailes, Eric explains how his suffering effected his relationship with God, opens up about the serious mental battle which accompanied his illness and comments on how the coronavirus lockdown has reminded church leaders of the importance of caring for the chronically unwell and long term sick in their congregations.

Compulsive internet use by teens linked to emotional issues: study

A new study has found internet addiction in teenagers leads to difficulty regulating emotions. However there was no evidence that pre-existing emotional issues are a predictor of obsessive internet use.

The Danger of an Open Bible

When Jesus and Satan had their showdown in the wilderness, what was the Enemy's great tactic? To quote, misquote, and under-quote God's Word, giving his lies the appearance of evil (don't all the best lies do that?). Every great heretic in the history of the church has been an expert in the Bible and has used the Bible to do terrible things. An open Bible is a dangerous thing. More specifically, poor Bible reading is dangerous Bible reading. In all seriousness, consider how many people have been horribly abused with the Bible.

Four Reflections on Sin

Every human being outlives death. When you realize this, you begin to see the true horror of sin. Your anger, pride, envy, hatred, racism, selfishness, or any other sin, can become something that grows in you and defines you and consumes you more and more, world without end. If your anger-driven self repels and frightens people now, what will it do after a thousand years?

 

[Chaplain]

New Resources:

Sapiens, maybe. Deus, no.

In his latest long–read on the most important books, ideas and thinkers of our age Nick Spencer looks at Sapiens and Homo Deus by Yuval Noah Harari, exploring his sparkling and provocative prose but questioning the assumptions that lie behind his big ideas.

10 Theses About Cancel Culture

Cancel culture is destroying liberalism. No, cancel culture doesn’t exist. No, it has always existed; remember when Brutus and Cassius canceled Julius Caesar? No, it exists but it’s just a bunch of rich entitled celebrities complaining that people can finally talk back to them on Twitter. No, it doesn’t exist except when it’s good and the canceled deserve it. Actually, it does exist, but — well, look, I can’t explain it to you until you’ve read at least four open letters on the subject. These are just a few of the answers that you’ll get to a simple question — “What is this cancel culture thing, anyway?” — if you’re foolish enough to toss it, like chum, into the seething waters of the internet. They’re contradictory because the phenomenon is complicated — but not complicated enough to deter me from making 10 sweeping claims about the subject.

Video: Rabbi Jonathan Sacks on Cancel Culture

Rabbi Lord Jonathan Sacks shows how we live in a shame culture in the West today, rather than a guilt culture, as we did in the past when ours was a Christian society. The current craving to cancel those who don't conform to the majority view is a symptom of this. We no longer know how to forgive.

Video: What is the Rule of Faith?

What is the rule of faith? How was it used in identifying which books were from God? Should it affect our interpretation? How can the rule of faith be used for unity among Christians? In this video, Michael Kruger explains the rule of faith and its role in the life of the church.

Video: Joshua 13-14



Video: What "Defund the Police" Really Means

The phrase "defund the police" has echoed throughout our nation's politicians' chambers, committee meetings, and town halls. Vague solutions have been offered by progressive politicians while swift defunding of law enforcement has been executed without significant debate in major metropolitan areas across our nation.

Video: "In The Last Days Perilous Times Shall Come"



Video: Why I Believe in Miracles | Matthew Mittelberg

...Matthew Mittelberg is opening up the often-thorny issue of miracles and why they are as relevant to us today as they were when water was being turned into wine. On day one, Matthew responds to the classic objection that miracles are a violation of nature’s laws, with reference to Chesterton, Scripture, and garlic bread.

Video: Hello, I’m God! - Exodus 34:5-9

People have written and spoken about God for millennia. It’s what I have done for nearly four decades. But today we get to hear from God Himself as He gives to Moses His own autobiography. Here He introduces Himself by stating His name and His occupation as God. He states His primary character traits, thus framing what our relationship with Him is going to be like. This is a primary passage of Scripture, meaning other biblical authors make reference to it later on in their writings. Let’s find out what God says about Himself.

 

[Chaplain]

Essential Reading: Freedom, the Church and State Absolutism by Cultural Theologian Joe Boot (7/15/20)

...if the state becomes a terror to those who do good and rewards those that do evil, it is again in flagrant violation of God’s command and ordinance, and Christians have at that point a duty to resist an authority that has cease to be God’s deacon. Were this not the case, we would be bound to state absolutism with no basis for resistance to tyranny of any and every kind. So, we are to obey God’s ordinance to obey the civil authorities and fulfil our obligations until the state moves against God’s ordinances. In all other cases we obey for the sake of our conscience and to avoid unnecessary punishment...

As history invariably reveals, there will be many more than expected who in the name of ‘wisdom,’ ‘obeying the government’ and being a ‘good witness’ (aka getting approval of media and society as a whole) will, when push comes to shove, finally support an oppressive state and oppose the faithful church. The Barmen Declaration marked such a moment of division in the life of the German church in Nazi Germany. Some supported the freedom and independence of the church under Jesus Christ, others accepted gradual Nazification. The way Western society is presently moving, we may not be far away from requiring our own version of the Barmen Declaration...

Right now, in Britain and other Western nations, believers are facing a relatively small test of their faith and resolve, which is revealing of how Christians may well respond when the testing becomes more severe. Will we stand now for Christ and His Lordship over His church, and indeed over all nations and states, by insisting that the liberty of the church as a distinctive, unique and free institution, ruled by the Lord Jesus Himself be preserved, or will we leave every law or bureaucratic regulation unchallenged and accept an indefinite lockdown that might well be repeated again and again based on the judgment of government bureaucrats? Will we uphold an abiding and God-given distinction between the jurisdiction and spheres of church and state, or will we allow the state to rule the church, when in fact Christ claims to be the rightful ruler of both? Will we clearly articulate the difference between a restaurant, cinema or sports club and the church of the living God, or will be cave in to the radically secular notion that the church of Jesus Christ is not a form of government nor the people of the King of kings, but little more than a special interest group? ...

Christians are floundering in response to the church in lockdown for the same reason we flounder over the growing collapse of Christian civil liberties, expanded abortion, euthanasia, divorce law, the redefinition of marriage, transgender issues and more – we do not have a scriptural world and life view norming our understanding of these questions and the role of the state within them. Instead we have a secular humanistic worldview that has been drilled into us by the organs of cultural life, with Jesus and a hope of heaven spread on top as a sort of spiritual condiment...

Abraham Kuyper, a statesman, theologian and former Prime Minister of the Netherlands – a country with perhaps the richest legacy of Christian freedom of worship – has pointed out that “the dominating principle [of the Calvinistic side of the reformation] was not, soteriologically, justification by faith, but in the widest sense cosmologically, the Sovereignty of the Triune God over the whole Cosmos, in all its spheres and kingdoms, visible and invisible.” This means that the state, as well as the church, is ordained of God and under His authority as His servant (Prov. 8:15-16; Rom. 13:1ff). Because of the sword power given to the state, Kuyper rightly warns, “we must ever watch against the danger which lurks, for our personal liberty, in the power of the state.” And he keeps the state in check by asserting the absolute authority of God alone:

 

[#Phonepunk#]

love the Russian Christian revivals. the cathedrals they built are beautiful and dreamlike. these churches are wild.

7 Amazing Russian Churches That Seem Right Out of a Fairytale

St. Basil’s Cathedral in Moscow is far from the only merry-looking church worth visiting in Russia. Here are seven more.

matadornetwork.com

 

[VlaudTheImpaler]

any updates, m8?

Wanted to finally give an update. So they had found him passed out on the sidewalk with a head injury, bruises all over his body and with a blood alcohol level above 300. He was completely unconscious and unresponsive. They ended up doing emergency brain surgery because the doctors said he wouldn't make it if they didn't. Just the other day he was able to raise two fingers. But they don't know if he'll ever be able to gain full control over his body. I don't think the worst is even over yet personally. He's going to be detoxing from both the alcohol and the opiates they have him on. In his state it's going to be very hard.

The reason I couldn't give an update earlier btw is because the family had contacted the police to open an investigation since they found him covered in bruises. But the investigation didn't lead to anything in the end.

Still need your prayers. His brother seems to be in a good mindset so far. He and I are both going to compete in the arm wrestling tourney in a week and a half. While we all sort of saw this coming in one way or another, it's still a hard thing for anyone to process that your only remaining brother is in this state. But it's important to process properly while still being able to live your life with full control. I'm praying he doesn't lose that control.

Love all of you and thanks for the prayers!

 

[Chaplain]

New Resources:

Video: John Lennox answers your questions on AI, science, atheism & faith

Prof John Lennox answers viewer questions in a livestream Q&A hosted by Justin and Lucy Brierley. He talks about his new book ‘2084: Artificial Intelligence and the Future of Humanity’ and addresses issues around science, technology, faith, atheism and the Bible.

Video: 1 Peter 1-5; 2 Peter 1-3 - The Bible from 30,000 Feet

The apostle Peter wrote these letters to encourage persecuted Christians and to defend the authenticity of God's Word against false teaching that had infiltrated the church. He called on believers to grow in their faith so they might detect and combat the spreading apostasy. On this flight, we see how these letters uniquely encourage us as we live in conflict with our culture, giving us incentive for holy living as we look forward to Jesus' second coming.

Video: Critical Theory: A Disastrous, Unbiblical Worldview | Ep 275

You've probably heard the terms "intersectionality," "white privilege," "white fragility," "heteronormativity," and "antiracism." But you may not be familiar with the insidious social philosophy from which these terms are derived: critical theory. Today Christian apologist and theoretical chemist Dr. Neil Shenvi joins Allie to break down the complexities of critical theory and the ways it's destroying cultural dialogue and infecting the evangelical church.

Video: Just Thinking...About Racial Tensions & The Gospel with Darrell B. Harrison & Virgil Walker

Today on The Sword and The Trowel, Tom Ascol and Jared Longshore talk with Darrell B. Harrison & Virgil Walker (hosts of the Just Thinking Podcast) about what’s going on in the world, the church, racial tensions, victimhood, rioting, justice and how the gospel is enough.

How do we make sense of a post-COVID world?

The stories of our lives are in fact stories informed by God’s story and what God has done, is doing and will do in this world. CS Lewis said, “God whispers to us in our pleasures, speaks in our conscience, but shouts in our pain: it is His megaphone to rouse a deaf world.” If that is the case, what is it we think we’ve seen or heard? What is this tapestry made of brown patches and bright colours? The stories we used to believe about the world are called into question.

1,200-Year-Old Cross Found in Pakistan Implies Christianity Was There 'Before Islam Came'

“It is indeed great news for all of us that an ancient cross was found in Skardu,” said Mansha Noor, executive director of Caritas Pakistan. “It shows that Christianity existed in this area and there must be a church and houses of Christians. There are currently no Christian families in that area, but they were once present.

Charting a Course in a Post-COVID World

In this article adapted from a June 11, 2020, webinar, Michael [Ramsden] gathers some ancient wisdom to shed light on current events, especially as we continue to grapple and wrestle with exactly what will happen with COVID-19.

Edited

 

[Chaplain]

New Resources:

Every religion claims to be historical (but only Christianity is)

"Precisely such an overly-critical attitude toward Christian beliefs while hardly posing any similarly tough questions at all to the almost always unevidenced, non-Christian situations reveals a scholarly double standard. But too seldom scholars are hardly at all critical of non-Christian teachings. Granted, it could be that the lack of factual data regarding the non-Christian religions is simply unknown to the commentator. But it seems at many other times to be a case of political correctness or something similar that we see regularly in the news." (Historian Gary Habermas & Research assistant Benjamin C. F. Shaw)

Thinking Theologically About Racial Tensions: Sin and Guilt

This is part three in a four-part series on thinking theologically about racial tensions. I posted an introductory piece two weeks ago. Last week I wrote on the image of God. Prior to this series, I also did a post on race and American history.

Resurrected Saints and Matthew’s Weirdest Passage

Pointing to portrayals of heroic deaths in Greco-Roman literature, some argue that the scene is essentially apocalyptic CGI, intended by Matthew not as a record of real events, but as a kind of “special effects” symbolizing the dramatic significance of Jesus’s death. Although the apocalyptic flavor of the scene is important, a better argument can be made that Matthew intends this scene to be taken as plain, historical fact.

A cautionary tale for today’s ‘woke’ movement

A superb film about the NYT man who lied for Stalin casts light on today's cultural convulsions

Sex, gender and gender identity: a re-evaluation of the evidence (Royal College of Psychiatrists, 21 July 2020)

‘The counterargument to unquestioning gender affirmation is that the process of medical transition may itself prove to be another form of conversion therapy, creating a new cohort of life-long patients dependent on medical services and turning at least some lesbian and gay young people into simulacra of straight members of the opposite sex. Psychiatry sits on this knife-edge: running the risk of being accused of transphobia or, alternatively, remaining silent throughout this uncontrolled experiment. Respectful debate, careful research and measurement of outcomes are always required....

However, viewing transgender as a fixed or stable entity, rather than a state of mind with multiple causative factors, closes down opportunities for doctors and patients to explore the meaning of any discomfort. Being gender non-conforming, or wishing to opt out of gender altogether, is not only not indicative of mental disorder – it is, in many ways, an entirely rational response to present capitalist reliance on rigid gender norms and roles. However, when multiple medical interventions are required on an otherwise healthy body or doctors are expected to deny the concept of sex or the sexed body, the situation becomes less coherent. The notion of conversion therapy for those seeing themselves as transgender relies on another binary – that of ‘cisgender’ and ‘transgender’ – being set, closed, biologically anchored categories without overlap, rather than a more plausible hypothesis that one's gender identity is flexible, informed by one's culture, personality, personal preferences and social milieu.

The push for early bodily modification and hormones by some transgender patients is a cause for concern. New services, modelled on commissioning guidance from NHS England for adults of 17 years and above, will allow for self-referral, preclude psychological formulation or therapeutic intervention as standard practice, and recommend hormonal intervention after two appointments.58 This will further scale up hormonal and surgical interventions in young patients, who will miss out on pubertal development and necessary mental health treatment in their quest for interventions that may harm and that they may later regret.

In the rapidly moving and politicised debate, psychiatrists look to the RCPsych for guidance. Those providing and interpreting the scanty evidence from published research need to be independent and impartial, using best-quality measures rather than ideology. It is confusing to liken open-minded working with young patients as they figure out who they are to conversion therapy. Holding an empathic neutral middle ground, which might or might not include medical transition, should not be equated with this. Psychiatrists need to feel empowered to explore the meaning of identity with their patients, treat coexisting mental illness and employ a trauma-informed model of care when appropriate.’

Revelation: Scripture is the Word of God by Theologian JI Packer

Christianity is the true worship and service of the true God, humankind's Creator and Redeemer. It is a religion that rests on revelation: nobody would know the truth about God, or be able to relate to him in a personal way, had not God first acted to make himself known. But God has so acted, and the sixty-six books of the Bible, thirty-nine written before Christ came and twenty-seven after, are together the record, interpretation, expression, and embodiment of his self-disclosure. God and godliness are the Bible's uniting themes. From one standpoint, the Scriptures (Scriptures means "writings") are the faithful testimony of the godly to the God whom they loved and served; from another standpoint, through a unique exercise of divine overruling in their composition, they are God's own testimony and teaching in human form. The church calls these writings the Word of God because their authorship and contents are both divine.

Video: Dr James White, Dr Jonathan McLatchie, Dr Randal Rauser & Dr Richard Howe

A dialogue on four views on apologetic methodology, featuring Dr. James White (presuppositionalism), Dr. Jonathan McLatchie (evidentialism), Dr. Richard Howe (classical apologetics), and Dr. Randal Rauser (reformed epistemology). This discussion was moderated by Samuel Nesan of "Explain Apologetics."

Video: What Does It Mean To Be Human?

Join Guest Speaker Prof John Lennox and Andy Bannister for this exciting webinar exploring the question of what it means to be human in a world of artificial intelligence.

Video: REFRESH Extra | Mind Over Matter: What Are You Made Of?

The Biblical view of humanity is that we are unique among creation in our capacities, our value, and our destinies. Clarity on what we are provides the foundation for answering many of life's big questions. This talk by Nathan Rittenhouse is a part of our online ReFresh: Ready for College event for students and will be followed by a Q&A session.

Video: REFRESH Extra | In the Beginning God: Where Did the Universe Come From?

“In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth” Genesis tells us. But did He? What does science have to say about the origin of everything? And why does it even matter? This talk by Matthew Mittelberg is a part of our online ReFresh: Ready for College event for students and will be followed by a Q&A session.

Video: Hope for Discouraged Saints (7/22/20)



Edited

 

[Tesseract]

 

[Chaplain]

New Resources:

Split 5 to 4, Supreme Court Rejects Nevada Church’s Challenge to Shutdown Restrictions (7/24/20)

"Calvary Chapel Dayton Valley in Dayton, Nev., argued that the state treated houses of worship less favorably than it did casinos, restaurants and amusement parks. Those businesses have been limited to 50 percent of their fire-code capacities, while houses of worship have been subject to a flat 50-person limit. Justice Samuel A. Alito Jr., in a dissent joined by Justices Clarence Thomas and Brett M. Kavanaugh, wrote that the distinction made no sense. “The Constitution guarantees the free exercise of religion,” he wrote. “It says nothing about the freedom to play craps or blackjack, to feed tokens into a slot machine or to engage in any other game of chance. But the governor of Nevada apparently has different priorities.” “A public health emergency does not give governors and other public officials carte blanche to disregard the Constitution for as long as the medical problem persists,” Justice Alito wrote. The court considered a similar objection from a California church in May, and it rejected it by the same 5-to-4 vote. But Justice Alito, who dissented in the earlier case, said the new one was more troubling in light of the differing treatment of casinos and churches. “That Nevada would discriminate in favor of the powerful gaming industry and its employees may not come as a surprise,” he wrote, “but this court’s willingness to allow such discrimination is disappointing.” (7/24/20)

Christ, not Caesar, Is Head of the Church (7/24/20)

"Notice that we are not making a constitutional argument, even though the First Amendment of the United States Constitution expressly affirms this principle in its opening words: “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof.” The right we are appealing to was not created by the Constitution. It is one of those unalienable rights granted solely by God, who ordained human government and establishes both the extent and the limitations of the state's authority (Romans 13:1–7). Our argument therefore is purposely not grounded in the First Amendment; it is based on the same biblical principles that the Amendment itself is founded upon. The exercise of true religion is a divine duty given to men and women created in God’s image (Genesis 1:26–27; Acts 4:18–20; 5:29; cf. Matthew 22:16–22). In other words, freedom of worship is a command of God, not a privilege granted by the state. An additional point needs to be made in this context. Christ is always faithful and true (Revelation 19:11). Human governments are not so trustworthy. Scripture says, “the whole world lies in the power of the evil one” (1 John 5:19). That refers, of course, to Satan. John 12:31 and 16:11 call him “the ruler of this world,” meaning he wields power and influence through this world’s political systems (cf. Luke 4:6; Ephesians 2:2; 6:12). Jesus said of him, “he is a liar and the father of lies” (John 8:44). History is full of painful reminders that government power is easily and frequently abused for evil purposes. Politicians may manipulate statistics and the media can cover up or camouflage inconvenient truths. So a discerning church cannot passively or automatically comply if the government orders a shutdown of congregational meetings—even if the reason given is a concern for public health and safety." (John MacArthur)

Video: REFRESH Extra | Is Jesus Worth It?

"On the shores of the Sea of Tiberias, the biblical character Peter has a breakfast conversation with Jesus that changes his life forever. Here he learns that true love can’t be turned away; death itself is conquered by its power. God leaves signs of love all around us, no matter how far away from his heart we have drifted. This talk by Xandra Carroll is a part of our online ReFresh: Ready for College event for students and will be followed by a Q&A session."

Video: REFRESH Extra | How Can You Still Believe When…?

"Looking the current state of the world, along with how the Church can often be a poor example of Christ and the recent de-conversion stories, why still believe in Christ? Is he really who he says he is, or have we made him to be something he isn’t? This talk by Lou Phillips is a part of our online ReFresh: Ready for College event for students and will be followed by a Q&A session."

Video: The Uyghur People: Voices of the Forgotten | Full Panel Discussion | Oxford Union

"While the international community has condemned China's detention of Uyghur Muslims as a violation of human rights, Beijing continues to frame these internment camps as a national security measure, aimed at preventing extremism and separatism. What is the truth for those in Xinjiang, and what can be done to protect the humanity and dignity of the Uyghur?"

 

[Bolivar687]

Glory to God in the highest and on earth peace to people of good will.

 

[Chaplain]

New Resources:

Video: Sy Garte - From Atheism to Christianity Through Science - Critical Witness

Today we are talking with Dr Sy Garte, a PhD biochemist who was an atheist but became a Christian later in life, and is now the lay leader of the United Methodist Church in Rockville MD and a lay delegate to the Baltimore Washington Annual Conference of the United Methodist Church. He has over 200 peer reviewed published scientific papers and four books.

The Uighurs of China: A People in Peril

The Chinese government justifies its measures against its Muslim citizens by appealing to a global fear of Islamic terrorism. Much of the world seems content to leave China alone and allow her to pursue these oppressive actions against the Uighurs. The Islamic world in particular seems strangely silent about this persecution.

Audio: EP # 067 | Whiteness

“Whiteness.” What, if anything, is it, and who, if anyone, is guilty of it? In this episode of the Just Thinking broadcast, Darrell and “Omaha” (Virgil) look to the Scriptures in discussing the topic of “whiteness” and the influence of Critical Race Theory and Black Liberation Theology in shaping this divisive and God-dishonoring movement within contemporary evangelicalism in America.

Africa To America, Tragedy To Triumph

They were made slaves by their neighbours before they were made slaves by strangers. They were hated by their cousins before they were hated for their colour. They were outcasts and oppressed in their Old World before they suffered over the sea—before they suffered under the sun in a New World.

Jim Packer: his life, theology and faith

Jim came to love the Puritan writers, seeing in them a wisdom which could nourish and sustain the modern church. This led him to establish, with Dr Martyn Lloyd-Jones, the Puritan Studies Conference, based at Westminster Chapel, London. This annual meeting expanded, and over time became of strategic importance for many evangelicals within the Church of England and the Fellowship of Independent Evangelical Churches.

Podcast: Unbelievable? A Skeptic in Narnia – Laura Miller and Michael Ward – Classic Replay

Laura Miller loved the Narnia stories as a child, but felt she had been hoodwinked when she discovered their Christian symbolism as an adult skeptic. She engages in a discussion on the enduring appeal of Narnia with leading CS Lewis scholar Michael Ward in this replay of their 2009 dialogue.

 

[Chaplain]

 

[Elcid]

Just gone leave this here.

 

[VN1X]

This was reposted by a channel I follow recently and thought it was spot on.




Probably already posted before here but this is mandatory viewing for anyone I thought, religious or not.

 

[Tesseract]

VlaudTheImpaler

how goes the recovery of your friend?

 

[Chaplain]

New Resources:

Video: Ask Ligonier with Steven Lawson

Calvinist "Dr. Lawson is president and founder of OnePassion Ministries, a Ligonier Ministries teaching fellow, host of The Institute for Expository Preaching, and director of the doctor of ministry program at The Master’s Seminary. His numerous books include Foundations of Grace and The Moment of Truth." (7/28/20)



Video: Former Psychopath David Wood Shares His Astounding Transformation Into Christian Apologist

"For the first time ever, Eric interviews a former psychopath, David Wood, and uncovers his astounding story of transformation into Christian apologist in a Miracle Monday that you cannot miss. (Warning: Some content may be disturbing.)"



Video: Sean McDowell - A Politically Correct Culture



Video: John Lennox



Video: Did I say 30 Qur'ans? My bad, I should have said 100's!

"Jay Smith explains why recent events in Islamic scholarship and videos on YouTube are significant issues for Islam and the historicity of the Quran. Worth watching."



Video: An Atheist & A Christian Author Discuss The Story of the World: Trinity Radio Responds

"His Dark Materials is a huge series, which has now spawned an HBO adaptation. It presents a Narnia-styled fantasy experience with an underlying atheistic narrative. The author of the series discusses the story of Christ, as well as disagreements over the importance of doctrine."



Video: Muslim Scholars Shatter the Myth of Quran Preservation!

"One of the most popular myths in history is the myth that the Quran has been perfectly preserved. In this video, Ahmed Deedat, Zakir Naik, Shabir Ally, Mohammed Hijab, Ali Dawah, Mufti Abu Layth, Yasir Qadhi, Adnan Rashid, Shehzad Saleem, Hamza Yusuf, Adnan Abdul Qadir, Haitham al-Haddad, Abdulrahman Hassan, Muhammad Salah, and Aslam Abdullah help put an end to the myth of the Quran's perfect preservation once and for all!"



The Road Less Traveled: The Importance of Preaching Overlooked Texts

"For those committed to the inerrancy, infallibility, sufficiency, and clarity of God’s Word, we understand and affirm what Paul declares in 2 Timothy 3:16: “All Scripture is inspired by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness; so that the man of God may be adequate, equipped for every good work” (emphasis added). Every book, every chapter, every sentence, every line – even “the smallest letter or stroke” (Matt. 5:18)—proceeds from God, and has been given to us by God so that we might know Him more intimately, worship and serve Him more faithfully, and proclaim Him more urgently. So when it comes to selecting texts of Scripture to preach, why is it that we are more likely to select Psalm 51, Romans 12:1–2, or Ephesians 2:8–10 rather than 1 Chronicles, Ezra, or 3 John?" (7/28/20)

Is It a Waste of Time for Seminary Students (and Pastors) to Learn the Biblical Languages?

Even in the middle of a COVID-19 world, a new crop of seminary students here at RTS-Charlotte has already begun the grueling month-long experience of Summer Greek. And, like all seminary students before them, they will begin to ask the question of why studying these ancient languages even matters. After all, a few years after graduation all will be forgotten. In the midst of a busy pastoral life, who could possibly maintain proficiency in the languages?

Christian scholar says Twitter refused to promote his article linking Marxism to riots

Twitter is refusing to promote an article by Christian author Larry Alex Taunton in which he attempts to provide a "Christian response" to the civil unrest across the United States and argues that violent riots are planned Marxist political tools. Taunton, a 53-year-old freelance writer and executive director of the Fixed Point Foundation, wrote an essay earlier this month called "Understanding What is Happening in America; A Christian Response.”

First, the Bad News

...various religions have vastly differing notions of what constitutes “good.” To some, righteousness is achieved by quieting the mind or extinguishing the flames of human desire. To others, righteousness means waging jihad against the infidel. But what all man-made religions and all the doctrines of demons teach in common is that the rewards of righteousness are within reach, and you can achieve redemption for yourself by following the tenets of whatever religion you have chosen. They promise merit in exchange for good deeds, religious rituals, and human willpower.

Twenty Years A Fool: My Long Journey Home From The Left

Elizabeth Nickson’s story has all the makings of a Hollywood bio pic: A Westmount exile, who rebels against power and privilege, becomes a globe-trotting leftist journalist chronicling the great revolutionary narratives of her time. Then she sets out to discover the awful truth about her patriarchal 400-year-old colonist clan and everything changes. But Hollywood won’t touch her script because what she finds are eternal truths, about love, charity, sacrifice, Christianity and genuine freedom.

Hate crime law will have 'detrimental effect on free speech', warns Church

Dr Stuart Waiton, a senior lecturer in sociology and criminology at the University of Abertay in Dundee, wrote in the Scottish Herald newspaper that the Bill is "possibly be the most illiberal and intolerant piece of legislation in any liberal democracy, worldwide", with wording that is "incredibly flexible and subjective". He said that the legislation encroaches so far into the private sphere that it is "opening up the possibility of comments at dinner parties becoming criminal offences".

Edited

 

[Mr.Jackpots]

How do you guys discuss God with your family? (this is also somewhat a vent. Just had a frustrating discussion with my pops).

Anytime I attempt to share my faith with them, or discuss current events in association with prophecy, I am immediately mocked or ignored. I've been trying for years to lead them. They're so tied up with worldly pleasure or concerns that it blinds them to Gods love for them. I get being scared, im not above fear, often times I panic over the smallest of issues, but I rest in the comfort of Christ and the promises made. I try to share that hope, but nope "Jesus doesn't pay my bills, prevent hardships, or cure the sufferings of the world". Very discouraging

 

[Tesseract]

How do you guys discuss God with your family? (this is also somewhat a vent. Just had a frustrating discussion with my pops).

Anytime I attempt to share my faith with them, or discuss current events in association with prophecy, I am immediately mocked or ignored. I've been trying for years to lead them. They're so tied up with worldly pleasure or concerns that it blinds them to Gods love for them. I get being scared, im not above fear, often times I panic over the smallest of issues, but I rest in the comfort of Christ and the promises made. I try to share that hope, but nope "Jesus doesn't pay my bills, prevent hardships, or cure the sufferings of the world". Very discouraging

i try to relate the material to the structure of their lives and personalities

it can be difficult, sometimes you fail and lose people to the darkness

don't give up, m8

 

[Tesseract]

 

[Mr.Jackpots]

yea, I'm gonna approach my dad tomorrow and just tell him I love him then give him a big ol' hug.



edit: possibly a smooch on the cheek

 

[mcz117chief]

yea, I'm gonna approach my dad tomorrow and just tell him I love him then give him a big ol' hug.



edit: possibly a smooch on the cheek

That literally never fails to make parents happy, it is the oldest trick in the book because it works so well

 

[Chaplain]

New Resources:



U.S.Ambassador Brownback on China’s High-Tech Persecution of Uighurs

An estimated 1 million Uighurs—almost 10 percent of the Uighur population in China—have been captured and interned in concentration camps. “From reports that have managed to get out of Xinjiang, people are arrested and sent to the camps for things as simple as men having long beards or women covering their heads,” wrote Greg Turner in recent article for TGC. “People have completely disappeared after being sent to these camps. There are credible accusations that Uighurs are being subjected to forced sterilization to reduce their numbers in China. This is one of the worst human-rights crises in recent years.”

Karl Marx vs Charles Spurgeon: An Epic Struggle for the Souls of Men in 19th-Century London

It is extraordinary to me that both Karl Marx (1818-1883) and Charles Spurgeon (1834-1892) lived and worked in the same city at the same time. Both were, in a sense, evangelists contending for the souls of men with their competing visions of humanity. Moreover, each was at the height of his powers at the same time as the other. While Marx was preaching salvation through bloody revolution, Spurgeon, on the other side of the city, was preaching salvation through the blood and grace of Jesus Christ.

Video: Question and Answer with J.P. Moreland: Tackling Your Toughest Questions!

J.P. Moreland is one of the leading philosophers and apologists today. He has published in areas as wide-ranging as intelligent design, the historical Jesus, and evidence for the soul. Join us for an engaging discussion!

Video: What Is The Coptic Church?

I'm an outsider to the Coptic Church, but St. Paul Coptic Orthodox church in Chicago, Illinois welcomed me enthusiastically. This visit was an amazing experience that I'll be unpacking over the course of my next few videos.

Video: So much Evil, Where is God? | Nathan Betts | REBOOT Digital


Video: The Problem with Forgiveness | Logan Gates | REBOOT Digital


Video: Calvinism Free Will Debate Eric Hernandez vs Derek Murrell

"How Free is Free Will? Special thanks to Chris Featherstone of ViZion United Podcast for hosting this debate! It was a civil, respectful, and engaging discussion. Thank you Derek for participating."

Edited

 

[Bolivar687]

Magic's Jonathan Isaac explains why he didn't take knee or wear Black Lives Matter shirt Friday

Isaac is an ordained minister, and cites gospel as his explanation for not kneeling during the anthem

www.cbssports.com

"I believe that Black Lives Matter. A lot went into my decision, and part of it is, I thought that kneeling or wearing the Black Lives Matter t-shirt doesn't go hand-in-hand with supporting Black lives. So I felt like, just me personally, what is that I believe is taking on a stance that, I do believe that Black lives matter, but I just felt like it was a decision that I had to make, and I didn't feel like putting that shirt on and kneeling went hand in hand with supporting Black lives. I believe that for myself, my life has been supported by gospel, Jesus Christ, and everyone is made in the image of God and that we all forge through God's glory.​

Each and every one of us do things that we shouldn't do and say things that we shouldn't say. We hate and dislike things that we shouldn't hate and dislike, and sometimes it gets to a point where we point fingers, whose evil is worse, and sometimes it comes down to whose evil is most visible. So I felt like I wanted to take a stand on, we all make mistakes, but I think that the gospel of Jesus Christ is that there's grace for us, and that Jesus came and died for our sins and that if we all come to an understanding of that and that God wants to have a relationship with us, that we can get kept all of the things in our world that our messed up, jacked up.
I think when you look around, racism isn't the only thing that plagues our society, that plagues our nation, that plagues our world, and I think coming together on that message that we want to get past not only racism but everything that plagues as us as a society, I feel like the answer to that is gospel."

 

[Chaplain]

New Resources:

The Roots Of Wokeness

Truth is always and only a function of power. So, for example, science has no claim on objective truth, because science itself is a cultural construct, created out of power differentials, set up by white cis straight males. And the systems of thought that white cis straight men have historically set up—like liberalism itself—perpetuate themselves, and are passed along unwittingly by people who simply respond to the incentives and traditions of thought that make up the entire power-system, without being aware of it. There’s no conspiracy: we all act unknowingly in perpetuating systems of thought that oppress other groups. To be “woke” is to be “awake” to these invisible, self-reinforcing discourses, and to seek to dismantle them—in ourselves and others.

Podcast: Oxford Mathematician John Lennox Reviews AI Predictions Through the Ages

Dr. Lennox says that artificial intelligence (AI) predictions down through the ages are all heavily dependent on theological and philosophical presuppositions. He and Marks discuss AI’s cousin, transhumanism, its surprising history, and its potentially very dark future, including the risk of what C. S. Lewis called “the abolition of man.”

Our Olive-Skinned Gospel

Reading the Bible through my Western lenses, I see also how Jesus appeals to Western minds. If the East is based on communal conformity, the West is based on individualism and countercultural nonconformity. Jesus was countercultural, despite his Easternness. While he naturally expressed the communal culture of the Middle East, Jesus often extolled the virtues of the individualism that Westerners have come to value so much. In a patriarchal and often misogynistic society, Jesus shocked those around him by lifting women to their rightful status as equals. He bucked the ethnocentrism of his day as well.

Video: Replacing BLM with Biblical Unity: An Interview with Monique Duson

"Black lives matter." That statement is objectively true, but the organization that goes by that name is evil. Monique Duson used to support the organization but now seeks to replace BLM with the Center for Biblical Unity." (7/23/20)
Monique's biography: "Chantal Monique Duson has a background in social service and children’s ministry. She has worked with a diverse array of under-served communities. Monique worked as a Missionary to South Africa for over 4 years, serving children and teachers impacted by drugs, violence, and trauma. Monique spent 2 decades advocating for Critical Race Theory (CRT), but through a series of events began to see the contradictions of CRT with the historic Christian worldview. She is now convinced that CRT is not the best way to achieve racial unity and actively speaks out against the use of CRT within the church. Monique's vision is to promote a vision for racial healing based on the historic Christian worldview. Monique has a BA in Sociology from Biola University. She is working on a MA in Theology from Talbot School of Theology."

Video: How the new atheism got old. Culture is searching for meaning again - Justin Brierley

"Justin Brierley, host of Unbelievable?, explains why he believes the conversation on faith and culture has moved on from the new atheism of Dawkins, Hitchens and Harris."

Video: Why You Should Change Your Mind About Jesus | University of Tennessee - 2020

"In February of 2020, Dr. Craig spoke at the University of Tennessee in conjunction with Ratio Christi. Here he gives a lecture, followed by Q&A, on reasons to believe God exists."

Video: City Center Conversations with Rebecca Mclaughlin

"Rebecca McLaughlin holds a Ph.D. in Renaissance Literature from Cambridge University and an M.Div. equivalent from Oak Hill Theological College in London. Her first book, Confronting Christianity: 12 Hard Questions for the World’s Largest Religion, was published by Crossway and The Gospel Coalition in April 2019. The book harvests insights from the 9 years Rebecca spent at The Veritas Forum working with Christian professors at leading secular universities. It examines the most pressing challenges to Christianity in our age and argues that – on closer inspection – every seeming roadblock to faith turns out to be a signpost."

Edited

 

[Mr.Jackpots]

Ephesians 2: 4-6
But God, who is rich in mercy, for His great love wherewith He loved us, Even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ, (by grace ye are saved And hath raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus:

Love these verses. God loves us and gives us everything despite our sinful nature. Praise Christ, and I hope all of you have a peaceful day full of grace

 

[Chaplain]

Video: The Unrivaled Power of God - Psalm 139:13-18

"God is called Almighty fifty-seven times in Scripture. It means that the resources of His power are boundless. He is unlimited in His ability and unconstrained in His capacity. God’s attribute of omnipotence is helpful for us to remember when we are feeling overwhelmed with threatening circumstances. Just as we feel confident when our mobile devices have plenty of battery power to spare, we can live confidently knowing that our great God has power for any of our problems."

Video: Bible Prophecy - Happening Now with Charlie Kirk (July 2020)

"Charlie Kirk and Pastor Jack discuss how America has turned away from its morality and Biblical foundation as a nation and the result has created broken families, a shattered education system, a lack of hope, and a loss of purpose within its citizens."

Video: Has science buried God? (Oxford professor John Lennox)



Edited

 

[Chaplain]

More resources:

Video: Life and Prosperity, Death and Destruction | Deuteronomy 30

"...what the heart most wants, the mind finds reasonable, the emotions find desirable, and the will finds doable...that means is that what the heart is set upon affects your mind, your will and your emotions!" (Pastor/Scholar Tim Keller)

A Biblical Critique of Secular Justice and Critical Theory by Pastor/Scholar Tim Keller

Which justice? There have never been stronger calls for justice than those we are hearing today. But seldom do those issuing the calls acknowledge that currently there are competing visions of justice, often at sharp variance, and that none of them have achieved anything like a cultural consensus, not even in a single country like the US. It is overconfident to assume that everyone will adopt your view of justice, rather than some other, merely because you say so. Biblical justice. In the Bible Christians have an ancient, rich, strong, comprehensive, complex, and attractive understanding of justice. Biblical justice differs in significant ways from all the secular alternatives, without ignoring the concerns of any of them. Yet Christians know little about biblical justice, despite its prominence in the Scriptures. This ignorance is having two effects. First, large swaths of the church still do not see ‘doing justice’ as part of their calling as individual believers. Second, many younger Christians, recognizing this failure of the church and wanting to rectify things, are taking up one or another of the secular approaches to justice, which introduces distortions into their practice and lives. (8/3/20)

Video: Justin Brierley - Apologetics, Evangelism, Debates and the UK Church - Critical Witness

"Today we are talking with Justin Brierley, host of the Unbelievable? radio show, youtube and podcast and Ask NT Wright Anything podcast. We will be hearing about Justin's story and what he thinks of apologetics and evangelism within the UK church and whatever topics come up as we chat." (8/4/20)

Video: Losing Faith in God: A Conversation with Jon Steingard (8/4/20)



Video: Exposing & Opposing Social Justice Theology | Guest: Dr. Voddie Baucham | Ep 282

"For nearly two decades, Dr. Voddie Baucham has studied and warned the church about Marxism, liberalism, and postmodernism. He is an expert in expressing why these worldviews are so imminently dangerous, and how we are seeing the results of these thoughts in our current culture." (7/31/20)

Edited

 

[timeflais]

How do you guys discuss God with your family? (this is also somewhat a vent. Just had a frustrating discussion with my pops).

Anytime I attempt to share my faith with them, or discuss current events in association with prophecy, I am immediately mocked or ignored. I've been trying for years to lead them. They're so tied up with worldly pleasure or concerns that it blinds them to Gods love for them. I get being scared, im not above fear, often times I panic over the smallest of issues, but I rest in the comfort of Christ and the promises made. I try to share that hope, but nope "Jesus doesn't pay my bills, prevent hardships, or cure the sufferings of the world". Very discouraging

Perseverance.

When you lead by example expect to face the same challenges of all your predecessors. This is how you are shown the way, Jesus was mocked just as you are and many christians the world over.

You must understand, it is not only lack of belief that you are fighting against, it is the evil intertwined with our reality that has condition the minds to actively avoid God. These triggers make it physically difficult for many to even discuss the possibility of God being real.

 

[#Phonepunk#]

I found this pretty interesting. An archbishop reviewing Return of the Jedi.

Personally, I was deeply impressed and moved with this series of films by director George Lucas, and I felt that his Greek ancestry was at least evident in his handling of the material. Return of the Jedi is positively Dostoevskian in its moral content, and I am convinced that Lucas is familiar with Orthodox teachings and lives of Saints.

Surprisingly, delightfully, the real story is one of the immense struggle between the dark and the good side of that universal nature of which man is a part - the fallen nature of man and the universe. In the movie series, this nature is called "the force." In many reviews, "the force" has beeninterpreted as an unsavoury parody of God. After a careful examination of the real plot of the Star Wars series, however, I was led toward theconclusion that "the force" is that universal nature, and that the whole theme of the movie and the energies of the plot line are directed at the struggle within the fallen nature between co-operation with the dark side of that nature or with its "light" side that law of contradiction which Apostle Paul speaks of as warring within us, and upon which Orthodox monasticism is based.

Star Wars

pouke.org

 

[Mobile Suit Gooch]

I feel like the events in the book of revelations are starting to happen.

 

[timeflais]

God wins

 

[Tesseract]

God wins

 

[Tesseract]