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The Journal
NOTE: If you are a regular visitor, loyal supporter, or consider yourself a Classic Pauline Dispensationalist pursuant to the definition found at "Classic Pauline Dispensationalism" Explained, drop me an email indicating your city, state, province, and country, etc. We have created a 'non-public' fellowship registry. We'll put you on the map and provide details. If you've never corresponded or its been a while since we've heard from you, please provide some background (brief bio) info. Also, please read question #14 on our FAQs page.
Below are Journal entries, eclectic commentary, and information bulletins for site additions in 2008. Kind thanks to my dear wife for proof reading these comments from time-to-time. Most recent posts are shown first:
January through June of the 2008 Journal is published as a separate page.
8/26/2008
Propping Up The Dollar - The Chinese communist central planners are no dummings. Having joined the industrialized-capitalist world in a big way, they now realize their nations power is largely based on importing technology and "know-how" from Western nations while maintaining a viable export market into those small nations. Thus, it should come as no surprise, that the are coming to the aid of the U.S. banking system. The positive movement in the dollar caught many by surprise.
The exact cause has taken some time to identify, but UK financial columnist Ambrose Evans-Pritchard writes about the recent actions of Chinese banks which surely contributes to the positive surge at the tail of the above graph.
8/23/2008
I'm not an economist...thank goodness. Rather my professional training (aka 'tent making') has been in accounting and technology. Despite the questionable reasoning, from time-to-time, of the Financial Accounting Standards Board (FASB), accountants are economic realists. Accounting is the language of business, but postmodernism seems to have even affect this discipline. Traditionally, at the end of each day, the books must be in balance...debit must equal credits, even if it means "plugging" (creating a temporary debit or credit) to make it balance. [As a professional hazard, I've been known to awaken during the night with my brain hard at work seeking an explanation for some encountered imbalance...and all this taking place without my expressed permission. Accountants often joke about the mental phenomena.]
Such is the current case with the global credit crisis, inflation, stock markets, and commodity prices, particularly oil, gold and silver. There are some very odd phenomena taking place which defy common rules of economics (supply and demand) as well as balancing the books. Things just don't add up. When events (effect) defy normal rules of behavior, one intuitively knows that some explanation (cause) must exists. The challenge is identifying the cause, keeping in mind the possibility that someone or some group may intentionally be concealing facts for personal gain. For accountants, such investigative activity is called forensic accounting.
Take for instance the recent run up in the price of crude oil and now the rapid price decline. Supply and demand? Or take the current case of the falling prices of gold and silver, while there simultaneously exists a widespread physical shortage in gold and silver. This defies common sense. Shortages cause prices to increase, not decrease...unless, of course, the market is being intentionally manipulated. Such may be the case, when you examine the following activities.
The U.S. and other western banking systems are creating massive levels of liquidity (fiat paper money) in an effort to keep western economies out of recession. This infusion of borrowing takes place through large banks, which in turn are used to prop up the entire financial system. Traditionally, free markets recognize the inflationary effect of such central bank behavior, and "alternative forms of money" such as gold, silver, or other currencies become safe havens.
I've never been big on conspiracy theories, but the Gold Anti-Trust Action Committee (GATA) has argued for some time that western central banks have engaged in accounting deception to sell (i.e. "lease") vault gold and thus depress the market prices of gold and silver. However, this ploy may have run its course as other nations (Russia, China, and the Middle-East) flush with newly-printed U.S. trading dollars are more than willing to exchange them for physical gold on world markets.
Further, some large U. S. banks are also currently engaged in non-traditional commodity speculation, i.e. taking "short positions" in the futures trading. Silver analyst Ted Butler asks, "What real legitimate business do 2 or 3 U.S. banks suddenly have for selling short such quantities of speculative instruments over a brief time period?" See article here. My answer, based on 25+ years as an auditor/examiner in the banking industry is "None." An investigation is fully warranted. Are the various large benefactors and players of central bank lending (fractional-reserve liquidity infusions) participating in a secondary ploy to suppress the market price of gold and silver in an effort to divert economic attention from a fiat currency collapse? This might explain the current physical shortage AND falling prices.
Add to this, the government's efforts to manipulate measures of true inflation, and our economic condition could be far worse than any "insider" is willing to admit. The Chairman of the Federal Reserve continues to emphases the "financial crisis" and "uncertainty" of the global economy.
PS. A part of the problem appears to be the ineffectiveness (?) of the regulatory U.S. Commodities Futures Trading Commission (CFTC).
"These highly disjointed and increasingly violent market moves are starting to feel a bit like a car on a mountain road with loose steering…"
8/17/2008
I have completed the educational landscape section below at the 8/5/2008 entry.
8/16/2008
Tonight, ersatz-evangelical Rick Warren will host his two-hour Saddleback Civil Forum on THE PRESIDENCY. CNN will carry the event live at 8:00pm (EST), 7:00pm (CST), 6:00pm (MST), and 5:00pm (PST). The problem with events of this nature is that both candidates are likely to be aggressively coached by their political handlers to parse their words carefully. Both candidates likely demanded to have the list of questions ahead of time, so that their respective team could research and craft responses. Neither candidate understands biblical Christianity nor is their 'worldview' really consistent with a Judeo-Christian framework of values. So, dig out your bottle of Pepto-Bismol and prepare to watch the heretofore fence-straddler vs. the über-radical.
In keeping with Rick Warren's robust set of questions, which candidate do you believe would find withChrist.org "offensive" and dispatch their minions to "pull our plug?"
As I evaluated the differences in each candidate's responses, and there were many, I was drawn to the stark contrast in their worldviews over conflict, war, and evil. John McCain has experienced evil firsthand and was resolute in how to deal with it..."We defeat it!" By contrast, Obama's responses were typical morally-relativistic and nuanced in which he equated moral certainty with arrogance. He emphasized the need for being "humble," and the possibility of being evil while opposing evil...an indirect slap at both the current Administration and America. The same moral relativism was expressed in his response to the pointed question regarding when life begins and abortion. He side-stepped the question (one of many), and justified his non-response with the cutesy statement, "That's above my pay grade." Like I said, his 'handlers' had him well groomed for the event.
8/15/2008
Why Liberals and the Left Oppose Free Speech and Distain Monologue...Except Their Own - One would assume that all Americans would understand the value of the First Amendment. Not so! For an increasing number, so-called "political correct dialogue" has supplanted the right of free speech laid down in the Bill of Rights. How has this come about?
Public education operates under the ubiquitous principle that no student should feel offended by another's point of view. At work is the process of the supremacy of the lowest common denominator. Little-by-little free speech is suppressed. It's this principle at work which has contributed to the national pedagogic crisis as well as the "dumbing down" of students and all society.
Today, liberals believe the ethos of the public school classroom should logically extend to the public square. This is in part the motive behind those who seek to reinstate the FCC's so-called "Fairness Doctrine." Their goal is to build "consensus" views, i.e., politically-correct perspectives which offend the least number of individuals. Being philosophic relativists, dialogue is the enlightened and acceptable form of communication since no viewpoint can claim superiority over another. For them, monologues (except their own) reflect arrogance, bad taste, and should be censored and banned.
Readers would be surprised at the number of emails received here from those "offended" by something they've read. Some request that I delete this or that based on their offended feelings. In anger, some seek to intimidate and "order" me to remove information. A small number have even threatened lawsuits, falsely claiming such-and-such statement is "libelous." To their disappointment, such is not the case. I do remind them that they are free to "change the channel" to any one of a... billion other websites.
8/13/2008
If you are one of the faithful who enjoy and appreciate this website, take note. Due to their megalomaniacal drive for absolute control and power, the liberal Left and Democrats are seeking to reinstitute the decades-old "Fairness Doctrine." This legislation, originally passed in 1949 and requiring radio and TV broadcasters to present controversial issues of public importance in a manner deemed by the FCC to be "honest, equitable, and balanced," was generally repealed in 1967. The need for the original law was largely based on the "limited spectrum of the public airwaves" (scarcity rationale). Cases involving the application of and challenges to the fairness doctrine vs. free speech rights under the 1st Amendment have reached the Supreme Court on a few occasions. "In 1984, the Supreme Court decided that the scarcity rationale underlying the doctrine did not apply to expanding communications technologies, and that the doctrine was limiting the breadth of public debate." In light of the success of both conservative talk-radio and conservative websites on the Internet, and due to the Left's inability to monopolize the public square like they have public schools, Democrats like House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, the Democrat caucus, Senators Richard Durbin, and John Kerry, are seeking to muzzle opponents by reinstating this law and extending its jurisdiction to include the Internet. A bill to reinstate the law (e.g., HR 3302, 109th Congress) failed to gain traction, but is being readied for re-introduction. The new legislation would address the issues of both "balanced presentation" and "media ownership." It is the so-called balanced presentation portion which may, hopefully, never reach constitutional muster. Nevertheless, such proposed legislation does represent an additional threat to free speech in the public square, aimed at conservatives and conservative Christians. Let you Congressional representatives know that you are opposed to the presentation portion of any proposed new legislation.
Most are unaware that the Internet, despite its appearance of being a fully democratic forum, is manipulated by companies like Google. Google's sophisticated, proprietary technology (filtering algorithms) allows its management to "weight" search results to reflect ideological bias or even enforce censorship--i.e., search results not favorable to conservative views. Despite my laborious efforts to index withChrist.org's web pages, very few pages get picked up by Google's "crawl" technology (Googlebot). This wasn't the case back in the '90s. Supporters of withChrist.org can help in this effort. If there's a particular page you'd like to see rise in Google's ranking, regularly submit that URL address HERE.
8/11.1/2008
Based on a recommendation by my middle son, Matthew Jude and his fiancée Tracy,
Diane and I are working through Dr. Emerson Eggerichs' book,
Love & Respect, Thomas Nelson, 2004. In short, the book is
phenomenal for several reasons. It's my intention to write an in-depth
review, since the essence of the topic--love and respect--extend far
beyond the sphere of building healthy marriages. So far, we've completed
Chapters 1-5, and I've read enough to recommend that all readers of
withChrist.org obtain a copy. The book is fundamentally different (in a
positive way) than evangelical books on marriage written over the past half
century. It turns an important corner toward stanching further cultural
deterioration.
8/11/2008
"A potential rush of events in which a US-led blockade, Israeli attack and Iranian reprisals pile up in a very short time and precipitate a major military crisis."
With Western economies under heavy stress from structural problems plus the rising price of oil, Iran's defiance of UN sanctions, and now war between Russia and Georgia, one Internet source is reporting a massive US/UK/French/Canadian navel armada in route to the Straits of Hormuz (the information is being confirmed at DEBKAfile). The stated purpose is to enforce UN sanctions; however, crude oil supply lines are also in play. Consequently, the recent decline in gas prices, commodities, rising stock market and rebound of the US dollar may be a short-lived phenomena. Special thanks to Susan P.- our helpful "research assistant" for supplying us with many links.
8/7/2008
DEATH of TRUE LOVE - John Locke is quoted as saying, “Whoever defines the word, defines the world.” Today, the meaning of love has been hijacked and largely redefined for use within a pervasive framework of moral relativism--the post-Christian society.
The Greek word most often translated "love" in the New Testament is agapē. The essence of agapē is benevolent action rooted in the nature of the lover, without pre-conditions on the part of the object of such love. But agapē is not "love" devoid of any conditions! Says who? A sound and careful study of the NT reveals numerous conditional statements relative to interpersonal relationships.
The current world's so-called love is love devoid of any and all conditions. It is a love severed and independent from light, righteousness, justice and truth. The same holds true for "peace," "unity," and a host of terms. Modern love, so called, doesn't engage in any form of judgment and is characterized by a perverted form of tolerance. It is tolerant of all manner of evil and wickedness, and intolerant toward those who would seek to identify and scripturally oppose the same. Thus, when a Bible-based Christian sets forth Scriptural truth with any degree of certainty, they are viewed and falsely labeled as being unloving, abusive and attempting to force their views on others.
Action: It has been this simple but continuous misuse of words which has rendered the Church impotent relative to its responsibility for being "salt and light" in society. Christians should be prepared to challenge every misuse, no matter what the context, of the word "love" by asserting its historical, biblical, and true meaning. Today's spiritual war (Eph. 6:12) is being played out in a struggle over the meaning words.
"...in order that Satan might not outwit us. For we are not unaware of his schemes." 2 Cor. 2:11
8/6/2008
Literalistic vs. Literal? The English word "literal" carries some problematic connotations, and thus a fair amount of confusion exists about how conservative, born-again Christians should interpret the Bible. Most often in conservative circles, literal is used to mean the normal, grammatical-historic approach to interpretation that was rediscovered during the Protestant Reformation and has been used by subsequent generations of evangelicals. This approach means the "correct interpretation is the one which discovers the meaning of the text in its grammatical forms and in the historical, cultural context in which the text is expressed."
A literalistic approach to interpretation is different. "Every word is taken absolutely literally including figures of speech and symbolism. Historical background is considered unnecessary and ignored. Any deviation from this rule is regarded as sacrilegious. This method was used by the Jews after the Babylonian Exile. It is also used by extreme fundamentalists and many cults (Children of God, Jehovah's Witnesses, Mormons, etc.). Subscribers always use it selectively and it makes Scripture unintelligible, contradictory, and unlivable."
It is this literalistic approach to Scripture, together with Anglo-Catholic church tradition, which spawned the erroneous and socially-destructive idea that marriage is indissoluble except by death. Contrary to both, biblical marriage can legitimately end by biblical divorce, as surely as by death. Does this seem counter-intuitive to what you've heard over the years? If so, read: Till Death Do Us Part? Divorce and Remarriage in the Church: Biblical Solutions for Pastoral Realities, by Dr. David Instone-Brewer.
8/5/2008
I have completed an “in-depth scan” of the book, None
Dare Call It Education, John A. Stormer, Liberty Bell Press, 1998. I
put together some comments and observations (here),
which should not be taken as a complete book review.
My views regarding education have ebbed-and-flowed during my nearly forty years
as a born-again Christian. I attended both parochial (Catholic) and public
schools during elementary and secondary years, and then both public and private
colleges. I experienced, first hand, substantial differences.
One conviction of mine that has remained fairly constant:
self-education is an important personal and family value. Taking
individual responsibility for learning (life long) is critical for offsetting
the various educational deficiencies we all face during our lifetimes.
This value was transferred to me by my mother and her hard-working
Czech/Austrian family.
According to the U. S. Department of Education’s National Center for
Education Statistics, nearly 75 million students (elementary, secondary,
and post-secondary) were enrolled (Fall 2007) in either public or private
schools. Nearly 10 million individuals were involved as teachers and
support administration. See the statistics
here.
Also of interest:
The Condition
of Education 2008 (in Brief)
The Condition
of Education 2008 (large file)
(No claim is made for the accuracy of DOE statistics.)
In addition to self-education, my view of the pedagogic landscape looks like this:
Public Education: Tax-supported common schools are socialistic by design and thus suffer from a host of structural ills, the worst being the “supremacy of the lowest common denominator.” As with all forms of social utopianism, outcomes never live up to the hype of the founding visionaries or those with vested financial interests. Why? The Fall. Over the past 150+ years, American education has inevitably failed in its mission to create genuinely literate citizens. From time-to-time, exposés are run which reveal high school graduates unable to demonstrate basic reading and writing skills, and poor global ranking despite the annual $500+ billion dollar price tag. As seen in the graphs below, only Norway spends more money per elementary and secondary student than the United States. In the arena of postsecondary education, the United States leads the world in spending. Does more money mean brighter students? Of course not.
Under "Academic Outcomes" in the same report (linked above) you find these facts:
Science: "The average U.S. science literacy score [15-year-olds] was 489, which was below the average of the 30 OECD countries (500). U.S. students had a lower average score than students in 16 OECD-member countries and a higher average score than students in 5 OECD countries. U.S. students also scored lower than their peers in 6 non-OECD jurisdiction..."
Reading: "The average U.S. 4th-grade score on the combined reading literacy scale was 540, above the PIRLS international average of 500. Students in 10 jurisdictions scored above U.S. students, on average. U.S. students scored higher, on average, than their peers in 22 jurisdictions. No differences were detected between the average score in the United States and those in 12 jurisdictions."
Students from the tiny country of Latvia scored higher in both categories than American students. Sadly, the students are the victims of a bureaucratic fraud and slowly awaken to their literacy deficiencies as they attempt to compete in the global job market. As was highlighted nearly 180 years ago, public education largely serves the interests of Government, not the family, nor the individual. Prior to America’s widespread urbanization and “reforms,” some isolated rural schools, under local control, may have provided better education, and a few may still exist in some backwater. Among educational alternatives for Christians, the choice of today’s public school should rank last. In most cases, it is a form of self-delusion for Christian parents to think that what their children receive at home plus in Sunday school is capable of offsetting the influence and effect of the public school.
Non-Government Funded Schools
Secular Schools: Despite the ubiquitous nature of America’s public schools, many children from the lowest to upper socio-economic American families opt to attend private schools. Yes, some of these institutions are elitist, at least in the minds of the parents who write the checks for tuition. As with all tuition-based funding, academic results and parental involvement are high due to the what I call "consumer consciousness." When parents pay directly for education, they discriminate, exercise positive judgment, and hold the school responsible for results. They demand their money's worth, and can vote with their feet if the particular school doesn't deliever.
The largest decline (1989 to 2005) in private schools was attributable to a thirteen (13%) percent atrophy in Catholic parochial schools. Evangelical Christian and "non-sectarian" (i.e. secular) school both grew by five (5%) percent. Overall, private school enrollment modestly increased from 4.8 million to 5.1 million, respectively, and constituted only nine (9%) percent of the total U.S. student population.
Christian Schools: Conservative (mostly evangelical) Christian schools represent the most reasonable educational alternative for born-again Christians. Quality varies from location to location with many variables contributing to the outcomes. For details, research the various associations: American Association of Christian Schools (AACS), Association of Christian Schools International (ACSI), National Christian School Association (NCSA), etc. It must be pointed out that there is a potential risk with sending children to Christian schools. Hurdle #1. Given the raging culture war (overt and covert), your child's high school or college diploma may be a liability when seeking to transfer educational credits or even find employment. Never mind the fact that they might be intellectually superior to their public school counterpart. For example, the University of California deny credit, relative to eligibility for admission, for some Christian high school classes--including English, history, and government, on the grounds that the subject were taught from a Christian worldview perspective. The University of California disallows over 150 specific courses taught in Christian, Catholic, and Jewish high schools. Hurdle #2. So you've graduated from a Christian, Catholic, or Jewish college and you're in search of your first 'real' job. With the Civil Rights Act of 1964 on the books and the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) on the beat, discrimination would be far from your mind as you aggressively sought out a 'good paying' job. Sadly, this is naive. I have personally witnessed company recruiters discriminate against ('round file') applications based on animus against religion. When I called this illegal practice to the attention of management, I became the pariah. Engaging the culture war is not for the faint of heart.
Homeschooling: "The U.S. Department of Education reports that 1.1 million, or 2.2 percent of all students in the nation, are homeschooled." For Christians, homeschooling is both the most ideal yet most difficult schooling option. Parents have nearly full control over both curriculum and the learning environment. If done correctly, homeschooling place a serious demands on both parents. It requires extra amounts of passion, commitment, and perseverance…as well as a good dose of teaching skills. Due to problems in both public and private institutions, as well as hard economic times, homeschooling continues to grow in popularity. Laws over homeschooling vary from country to country, state to state. Courts in Germany take a dim view of homeschooling and most have heard of the recent court ruling in California that attempted to make homeschooling illegal, but was reverse on appeal. Homeschoolers face similar challenges when applying to many public universities, but condition are said to be improving. The possibility of religious discrimination is still very real.
8/2/2008
Pushing Back The Darkness – A win for Colorado
broad-based evangelicals.
Political and religious liberals continue to suffer small setbacks in their
decades-long, animus-filled assault upon conservative evangelicals. For
example, in a lawsuit filed by Colorado Christian University (CCU) against nine
officials of the State of Colorado Commission on Higher Education over
unconstitutional discrimination in the matter of student funding, an adverse
lower District court decision was reversed by the US 10th Circuit Court of
Appeals. The arguments by the plaintiff attornys logic and the Circuit
Court’s ruling can be found
here and
here. I do admit, I love to listen to these arguments. I can't
find the arguments by the defense. The judge, at one point, describes the
defendant attorney's arguments as "inconsistent" with pertinent case law
and of advancing "puzzling and artificial distinctions."
Victories such as Colorado Christian University vs. Weaver are small
relative to the overall cultural assault on conservative religious citizens, but
nevertheless represent substantial moral victories in the face of pervasive
evils. While it may be no surprise or revelation to readers here, listed
below are the various national and local groups that made up the Amici
Curiae (Latin: friend of the court) on behalf of both the Plaintiff (CCU)
and the Defendants.
Arguing on Behalf of the Plaintiff
Attorneys:
-
Christian Legal Society - Center for Law & Religious Freedom, Springfield, Virginia
-
Rothgerber Johnson & Lyons, LLP, Colorado Springs, Colorado
-
Thomas N. Scheffel & Associates, P.C., Denver, Colorado
-
Alliance Defense Fund, Scottsdale, Arizona
Amici Curiae supporting the plaintiff:
-
United States Department of Justice, Civil Rights Division
-
Burns, Figa & Will, P.C., Greenwood Village, Colorado
-
Douglas Laycock, University of Michigan Law School, Ann Arbor, Michigan
-
The Center for Public Justice
-
National Association of Evangelicals
-
The Becket Fund for Religious Liberty
-
American Center for Law and Justice
-
Holme Roberts & Owen LLP, for The Council for Christian Colleges & Universities
-
The American Association of Presidents of Independent Colleges and Universities
-
The Catholic University of America
-
Jones & Benjamin D. DuPré, for Foundation for Moral Law
Arguing on Behalf of the
Defendants
Attorneys:
-
Solicitor General, Attorney General, Deputy Attorney General, and Assistant Attorneys General for the State of Colorado
Amici Curiae supporting the defendants:
-
Three Harvard Law School students, Supreme Court and Appellate Practice Clinic
-
O’Melveny & Myers LLP, Washington, D.C
-
Bredhoff & Kaiser, P.L.L.C., Washington, D.C
-
American Jewish Congress, New York, New York
-
Americans United for Separation of Church and State, Washington, D.C
-
American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) Foundation, Washington, D.C
-
People For the American Way Foundation, Washington, D.C
-
Anti-Defamation League, New York, New York
-
American Federation of Teachers, Washington, D.C
-
National School Boards Association, Alexandria, Virginia
-
National Education Association, Washington, D.C
-
National Parent Teacher Association, Washington, D.C
-
Colorado Education Association
8/1.1/2008
The McCain campaign has decided to have some fun with parody. The One
8/1/2008
From time to time, some have commented, "Why the name withChrist.org? Isn't it more accurate to say "in Christ?" The website's name is drawn from the biblical (Pauline) truths of the believer's positional crucifixion (death), burial, resurrection, ascension, and being seated "with" Christ. See Romans 6:4,6 and Ephesians 2:6. True, the believer is "in Christ," but only through his positional identification with Christ, which is at the heart of the Gospel message. Do you think you understanding the Gospel? Do YOU clearly understand how you came to be "in Christ?" If not, then I recommend that you familiarize yourself with THE DOCTRINE OF POSITION.
7/30/2008
The website Theopedia is an evangelical and Reformed theological effort to create “an encyclopedia of Biblical Christianity.” As a “wiki” (a document collection managed by collaborative software), its vision is to build a “comprehensive encyclopedia on biblical Christianity,” “promote sound theology,” “lessen the gap of theological knowledge between the seminary-trained church leader and the layman,” “build a Christian community for the promotion of good theological content,” and “promote the Lordship of Jesus Christ in all things.”
As one would expect, its highly-prolific founder and head
administrator Aaron Shafovaloff and other
assistants are thoroughly and unabashedly Reformed in perspective.
Theopedia adheres to an evangelical
primary
statement of faith, secondary statements such as
The Cambridge Declaration of the Alliance
of Confessing Evangelicals and Together for the Gospel, as well as
a “Writing guide.”
Although Theopedia contains entries for: dispensationalism, John Nelson Darby, Plymouth Brethren, premillennialism, C. I. Scofield, L. S. Chafer, etc., it is staunchly anti-dispensational and does not consider dispensationalists or dispensationalism a part of “traditional, evangelical Protestantism.” In these areas, their website’s commentaries lack neutrality and contain bias (contrary to their own Writing guide). They sadly promote many historical and erroneous Reformed mischaracterizations, similar to those put forth by John H. Gerstner's WRONGLY DIVIDING THE WORD OF TRUTH - A Critique of Dispensationalism.
It appears neither the founder nor other current administrators are interested in facts that run contrary to their preconceived notions. Several years back, I created a Theopedia account and while adhering to the website’s Writing guide, made several contributions to the above topics. Nevertheless, those entries, except for one single external link to MJS’s critique of the Plymouth Brethren, were deleted and my account purged.
Summary: Don't go to Theopedia if you want clear and accurate information regarding dispensationalism or dispensationalists. Brothers and sisters in Christ, the sine quo non of biblical Christianity, as taught by the Apostle Paul, JND, and others, is:
God has one purpose--to glorify Himself in Christ. This involves glory in two spheres, the earthly and the heavenly. In keeping with this purpose, God has made the Church distinct from Israel, though salvation of all saints is ever and only by (sovereign) grace (through faith), in view of the atoning work of Christ. The body of Christ, of which Israel is not a part, is composed of saints (of all ethnic backgrounds) seated in the heavenlies, in Christ Jesus (Eph. 2:6), and this constitutes them a heavenly people (despite individually being brief sojourners on earth), while Israel is an earthly people and shall be established in the land by sovereign power. All Israel will then be saved (Rom. 11:26, etc.), the rebels having been purged (Ezek. 20), etc. rah
A grammatical-historical (normal) method of interpretation (hermeneutic) leads each and every born-again Christian to see the veracity of the above theological quote. Unfortunately, a great number down through history have approached the Bible with some preconceived agenda, and thus reject this method of interpretation. Such is the history of the Anglo-Catholic, the Reformation, and to a lesser degree Anabaptist and Baptist traditions.
All Scripture "is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness" (2 Timothy 3:16), but all Scripture is not of primary application to a particular person or class of persons which the Bible designates as such. All Scripture is not about the angels nor about the Gentiles [non-Jews]. In like manner, all Scripture is not addressed to the Jew nor to the Christian. These are obvious truths, and the dispensationalist's plan of interpretation is none other than an attempt to be consistent in following these [normal] distinctions in the primary application of Scripture as far as, and no farther than, the Bible carries them. lsc
7/26/2008
As
mentioned on our
About Us
page, one goal of this ministry is to help believers navigate the numerous
doctrinal 'minefields' which exist throughout Christendom and beyond. It's
a big job and fortunately I have faithful assistants here and there who alert me
to new and troubling 'hot spots'.
One such doctrinal minefield worth mentioning is the evolving and deteriorating Messianic Judaism movement. The movement was popularized among the youth culture back in '60s by groups like Jews for Jesus. The early movement embraced the minority "racial pride" phenomena found on most university campuses, as well as rejected the Pauline doctrinal emphasis set forth in Galatians 3:28.
During the early '70s, Miles Stanford warned of the deleterious effects of both Law and the charismatic upon these converted Jews. Much went unheeded and many evangelical ministries today operate with Messianic overtones. Beware of the potential consequences!
As paradigmatic examples, let's examine the Messianic groups, Abrahamic Faith, led by Simon Altaf and B'nai Yahshua Synagogues Worldwide led by Joseph Koniuchowsky. Both Reformed and Progressive Dispensational believers should pay close attention.
Rather than moving in the direction of fellowship with the Risen Lord Jesus Christ, this group has progressively moved backwards into the OT while seeking to actualize Israel's future New Covenant. These avant-garde charismatic Jews suppose themselves to be the now-existent "New Covenant Israel" - the elect Assembly of Yahshua.
They rightly understand the error of Christendom's "Replacement Theology" (the false teaching that the Church replaced Israel), but reject the "mystery" exclusively revealed by the Apostle Paul, the truth of the heavenly Body of Christ (ekklesia) mentioned throughout his Epistles. According to them, "Separate-Entity Theology" (a classic Pauline dispensational distinction) "where something man-made called 'The Church' co-exists as a separate entity alongside the people of Israel" is an "unscriptural doctrine of Hell and needs to be silenced via correct teaching by those of the single body of New Covenant Israel also known as the ekklessia [sic] -- the Assembly of Yahshua." [emphasis mine]
Having semi-rejected the Scriptural concept of progressive revelation and having been 'energized' by charismatic nonsense, they feel "led of the Holy Spirit" to launch into plural marriages--polygamy. Believer beware: a non-dispensational approach to Scripture is treacherous ground.
7/25/2008
I caught up (sort of) with David J. Jonsson's article files. Two very interesting, albeit complex and involved from a general public perspective, are:
>> From the Church (Mosque) to the Schoolhouse to the White House <<
Barack Hussein Obama’s Contribution to the Clash of Ideologies
Mr. Jonsson draws connections which are both lucid and stunning. The second link regarding Democrat candidate Barack Obama is a six-part series, and let me stress--not for the faint-of-heart. Once you start, you'll probably be engrossed for several hours, so plan your time wisely.
As I wrote one correspondent, "If this isn’t the lead up to the Tribulation, then it’s a great rehearsal!"
7/24/2008
The declining role and influence of the Christian religion, fundamentalist to liturgical, in Western culture, creates an environment ripe for political messiahs. Read the creative - He ventured forth to bring light to the world. At least that's the way I see this presidential election shaping up. From so-called global warming to economic meltdown, from AIDS to conflicts and war, the world's citizens are looking for an easy and painless "answer." The Democrat candidate, Barack Obama, appears to be effectively leveraging this global yearning for a 'redemptive' personality. Even the typically non-religious Democrats seem to be enjoying their preceived campaign advantage. Somewhere on the Internet I read about John McCain's daily Rx intake and thought, "The Mainstream Media (MSM) will probably enjoy speculating on whether their chosen Republican contender suffers from hemorrhoids too." Advice? Stay engaged.
7/23/2008
Anglican (aka Episcopal) Unequal Yoke at an End? Despite their shared philosophic and theological humanism, the Anglican denomination (globally estimated at 80 million) is undergoing a major division--generally along the lines of liberal vs. evangelical. The problem stems from the fact that liberal American and British leaders are not representative of the more evangelical and morally conservative global membership. The ordination of a homosexual bishop by American Episcopals in 2003 was the a-bomb event that ignited a storm of global protest. For the past five years, conservatives have been working to excise the cancerous tumor, and more. "The Anglican crisis continues to escalate and will do so well toward the end of 2008. This fall, several American dioceses will vote [several already have] on whether to separate from the Episcopal Church. On Wednesday, a west suburban Chicago-area priest confided: 'It's all over but the lawsuits'." A similar type division (liberal vs. evangelical) is also occurring in the denomination Presbyterian Church (USA).
To assume that only men, not God, cause division is to create the logical, but false and un-Scriptural, assumption that men can always achieve unity. Such efforts may produce an ecumenical and superficial sense of 'togetherness', but only at the expense of truth, integrity, and genuine pneumatological (Holy Spirit) unity.
7/22/2008
Many in today's society are both hardened skeptics and cynics. The Modernism of the late 19th and early 20th century rejected the possibility of the supernatural and taught that empirical science was wholly sufficient to arrive at any "truth" worth knowing. However, hallucinogenic drugs and the decade of the '60s spawned a backlash of philosophic and moral relativism, which then paved the way for our Post-modern era. Postmodernism rejects both scientific and religious universal truth claims (metanarratives); reality is purely subjective and uncertainty the only constant. Thus, many younger generations will fail to see the humor in the cartoon below. For them, this approach to reading the Bible is seen as normative. Nothing more is possible. For them, the existence of denominations and Christian sects seems a self-evident confirmation that reading the Bible is purely a subjective exercise. Dispelling today's entrenched skepticism is very hard labor.
Of course, viewing even a single Pentecostal revivalist Todd Bentley broadcast would likely make even celestial beings cynical of religion. Miles Stanford's 1972 booklet, THE LINE DRAWN, stands unchallenged as the quintessential answer to the entire spectrum of Pentecostal/charismatic nonsense.
7/21.1/2008
At least some are privately candid in their opposition to withChrist.org.
7/21/2008
"...the Bible is like no other book."
With the influence of postmodernism upon the larger culture, claims of exclusivity have become less and less meaningful. The meaning most people get from the above statement is that the Bible is simply 'different', but not unique. From their perspective, Christians might enjoy it and thus it might be 'special' to you, but in their mind, no book is inherently superior to any other piece of literature. Thus, when witnessing to your friend or colleague, it's important to emphasis what you precisely mean.
"...the Bible is like no other book. It is unique for it has come to us from God Himself. This is evident from its own claims to inspiration. Paul wrote, "All Scripture is God-breathed" (2 Tim. 3:16). Though human writers were used by God to record the Scriptures, using their own styles of diction and expressing their own personalities, their words were the "out-breathing" of God. Inspiration then is the supernatural work of the Holy Spirit whereby He guided and superintended the writers of Scripture so that what they wrote is the Word of God. This "breathing" into the writings, or superintending over the writings, was an act both verbal and plenary. It was verbal in that that the Holy Spirit guided in the choice of the words, which cannot be separated from thoughts. The Bible's inspiration was also plenary in that it extended to every portion of the Bible. As a result it is infallible in truth and final in authority. The Greek word for "inspired" (2 Tim. 3:16, NASB) is theopneustos, literally "God-breathed" (as the NIV translates it). Because of its divine origin and nature, the Bible in its original writings was without error." RBZ
7/16.1/2008
"Now, let's turn to the Messiah stories. Through TV programs like "The Secret of Armageddon," the Iranian government continues trying to prepare people for what Ahmadinejad sees as the increasingly "imminent" coming of the Islamic Messiah. I don't begrudge them that, per se. I also believe we are living in the last days. I believe the Messiah is coming. And I believe we all need to live differently in light of these truths. The problem is that while Jesus, the Apostles and all Biblical eschatology teaches us to love our neighbors and our enemies in the End Times -- and share the good news of God's love and salvation for all who will listen and respond -- Shia Islamic eschatology teaches just the opposite. The way to hasten the Mahdi's appearance or arrival on earth, Shia scholars teach, is to create chaos and carnage on the planet and kill tens of millions of people. They believe that annihilating Judeo-Christian civilization as we know it and sending the world goes up in flames will then trigger the arrival of the Mahdi who will bring righteousness, justice and peace and create a worldwide Islamic empire. Of course, it's one thing to believe in such horrifying theology. It's another thing to run a country based on it. Yet that is exactly what is happening in Iran today. Such Shia eschatology is driving Iranian foreign policy. What's more, it is driving the Iranian regime's feverish bid to build, buy or steal nuclear weapons and the missiles capable of delivering them to U.S. and Israeli targets. Such genocidal zealots cannot be successfully negotiated with or deterred. That's what is so critical for Washington and our allies to understand. Ahmadinejad -- and, more importantly, the Ayatollah Khamenei -- don't want to be stopped. They believe they are on a God-given mission to bring about the end of the world, and they are eager and passionate about getting the job done as quickly as possible." Joel C. Rosenberg, 7/10/2008
7/16/2008
Campus
Cruisers? - Many readers are familiar with the Arminian/Wesleyan
evangelical and ecumenical Campus Crusade for Christ International (CCCI).
I spent time with and in the organization during the first year or so of my
Christian life. Read testimony here.
Readers may also be aware and sensitive to the fact that the term "Crusade" has
become rather 'politically incorrect' because of the rise in power of Islam
(Muslims take offense), the West's so-called "war on terrorism," and
pragmatic efforts by Western leaders to cast a false image of Islam as a
"religion of peace." For
the Muslim world, the word "Crusade" is always linked to the many
military/religious campaigns waged largely by Catholic Europe during the
Medieval Age, as well as their stunted understanding of the Christian faith in
general. So...did CCCI leaders compromise and intentionally alter their
name [Campus Cruised (sic) for Christ International] when they
participated in the highly-ecumenical
2007
World Conference on Dialogue Among Religions and Civilizations?
Curious minds want to know.
7/13/2008
I have added an addendum to the Interpretation section of my article, FROM GOD TO US, The Divine Chain of Communication.
Addendum: For further study, obtain a copy of Roy Zuck's Basic Bible Interpretation: A Practical Guide to Discovering Biblical Truth, Victor Books, 1991. This is an excellent seminary-level textbook used at Dallas Theological Seminary by Dr. Zuck. The textbook is a great resource; however, it is a bit dated in that it was conceived and written before the adverse influence of postmodernism took hold within academic circles and culture and thus fails to address some of these more contemporary issues.
If you're a bit murky on postmodernism (pomo for short) or "Emergent", that's acceptable...if you're over the age of 40. You may get a better understanding by backing into this form of contemporary reality. See the creative Emergence-See ¤ Po-Motivators for Emergent Christians, Motivational Posters for the Emerging Church Conversation CHAOS by TeamPyro.blogspot.com.
For any of you are struggling to raise (or even communicate) with your pomo-infected children or relatives, or concerned with the new "Emergent" youth group in your church, you won't want to miss TeamPyro's satirical and humorous motivational posters.
7/12/2008
At $150 USD a barrel of oil, the globalized economies face a 'slow-motion' Armageddon. Certain businesses and banks will fail early, others later as the high cost of energy works its way through...like rows of dominos. Planned or unplanned, the outcomes are similar. Theories abound why crude oil has more than doubled in such a short period. Will the financial collapse set in motion the prophetic, biblical Armageddon? Some think so...both in America and the Middle East. Keep in mind that events will move at a slower-than-expected pace due to the scale of interconnections at the global level. Yet, tensions are rising in Israel and the Middle East and at some point, the pressures will be released. Time is running out for this cast of world stage actors and actresses.
7/11/2008
"The 9th Circle in Dante's Inferno - starring Judas and Brutus - is a frozen
lake. Cold can be more frightful than heat. "Blue pinch'd and shrined in ice the
spirits stood," (Canto XXXIII). Such awaits the victims of debt deflation."
I understand that many readers will scratch their head after reading the above quote from Dante Alighieri's Divine Comedy (unless you read it back during your school days and your memory is still working), as well as ponder the connection with the economics of "debt deflation." Side note: Alighieri's work is "widely considered the central epic poem of Italian literature and is seen as one of the greatest works of world literature. The poem's imaginative and allegorical vision of the Christian afterlife is a culmination of the medieval worldview as it had developed in the Western [Catholic] Church." But...debt deflation? The above quote is the masterful journalistic ending to Ambrose Evans-Pritchard's most recent gaze into his economic crystal ball--Monetarists warn of crunch across Atlantic economies. If after reading his article, you're still not sure what's being discussed, then take in Chris Martenson's recently released 15th presentation entitled "Bubbles."
"Blue pinch'd and shrined in ice the spirits stood,"...they did.
7/7/2008
Where the Bible Speaks of Being “Born Again” and Why It is Synonymous with Genuine Christianity
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