They say Doug Wilson is racist, but he proves that the shoe probably fits on the other’s foot better than on his.

Beginning with Margaret Sanger’s contempt for “human weeds,” the pro-abort contingent has waged an unrelenting and very clever war on the black future. They have been very successful in this because of the radical abdication of black men. These black men have abandoned their children, and they must be called to repentance. What they are doing is twisted, demented. Sin always is.

Black skin is a gift of God, a gift that only God can give. When He gives it, as He is beginning to give it in the womb, that gift should be honored and protected. It should be honored and protected, in the first instance, by the black father of that child. But a black father will not and cannot do this if he has a black heart. He cannot do it if he pimps out his women, and places his black legacy to be slain on the Altar of Eight Thrusts. As we stare at this ad, flummoxed at the blindness, we have to remember that only God can give a black skin, and only God can take away a black heart. He will do that when someone summons up the courage to preach the gospel to black men.

By the way, before the usual suspects start to yell about my different uses of “black” in the previous paragraph, alleging my racism with loud screeches — as is their custom — I will simply point out that English uses the word black as a term of condemnation (e.g. blackguard, black heart) and honor both (e.g. Black Watch, Black & Tan). So if you want, go right ahead. Yell about etymological racism if you like. Go through the roof with it whenever some Republican tool tries to save Medicare through minor adjustments of the payouts. In the meantime, some people have noticed how many millions of our black children you have slaughtered, and we have noticed the quisling fathers.

There is somewhat more of difficulty in what follows. Here the man is placed in an intermediate position between Christ and the woman, so that Christ is not the head of the woman. Yet the same Apostle teaches us elsewhere, (Gal. 3:28,) that in Christ there is neither male nor female. Why then does he make a distinction here, which in that passage he does away with? I answer, that the solution of this depends on the connection in which the passages occur. When he says that there is no difference between the man and the woman, he is treating of Christ’s spiritual kingdom, in which individual distinctions are not regarded, or made any account of; for it has nothing to do with the body, and has nothing to do with the outward relationships of mankind, but has to do solely with the mind—on which account he declares that there is no difference, even between bond and free. In the meantime, however, he does not disturb civil order or honorary distinctions, which cannot be dispensed with in ordinary life. Here, on the other hand, he reasons respecting outward propriety and decorum—which is a part of ecclesiastical polity. Hence, as regards spiritual connection in the sight of God, and inwardly in the conscience, Christ is the head of the man and of the woman without any distinction, because, as to that, there is no regard paid to male or female; but as regards external arrangement and political decorum, the man follows Christ and the woman the man, so that they are not upon the same footing, but, on the contrary, this inequality exists. Should any one ask, what connection marriage has with Christ, I answer, that Paul speaks here of that sacred union of pious persons, of which Christ is the officiating priest, and He in whose name it is consecrated.

Calvin’s Commentary on 1Corinthians 11:3

1. It’s Christmas time and, just as there was a slaughter of innocents somewhere near the time of Jesus’ birth, Jesus is near today to all of the broken hearted. Psalm 34:18

2. Evil is real. We need not deny that. There is not other reason for this tragedy. Jeremiah 17:9 tells us that man’s heart is desperately wicked (KJV). Romans 1:18-32 tells us of the wickedness of man’s heart as well as the consequences of rejecting God’s glory and grace: this tragedy is an example of both.

3. Politicizing such tragedies is sickening and low. Hardly an hour had passed before we began to hear calls for more gun control laws. Why make this political? It was the work of the devil. It was the work of an evil man. It is also true that government will not save us from evil people who will break the law to do what they wish. After all, there is a law against murder, yet the guy broke that law.

Politicizing this tragedy cheapens the tragedy, but even worse, it cheapens the gospel. Only Christ can actually change a murderous person/culture. That cannot be legislated: it must be embraced by faith. Don’t cheapen (or deny) the gospel by trusting in man’s laws to stop murderers.

4. We all deserve to die Romans 5:12;6:23. It could have been us. Sadly it took just a few minutes for some of the Westboro Baptist Church/Phelps family to begin squawking about the killings being due to homosexuality. If only they could realize that they, too, will perish in their sins if they do not repent and trust Jesus Luke 13:1-5.

Those who are Christians have no reason to rejoice that these people, 18 of whom were children, were mercilessly and senselessly murdered. We should weep with those who weep.

5. Hope is still alive, because Christ still reigns supreme. Isaiah 9:6-7 speaks to us of the confidence that Christians have in the coming kingdom of Christ. Peace will come. Righteousness will be worldwide. Joy will be eternal. Christ will be known as King.

Yet, even now, God is sovereign. This didn’t slip up on God. He knew it was coming. He allowed it for some reason that we may never know. Lamentations 3:37-38;Isaiah 45:7  We can trust Him, because He does all things well.

In the interim, please be sure that you know Jesus as your Savior. He forgives the sins of all who trust in Him. John 3:36;20:30-31

I am not writing this book as a successful multiethnic leader. I am not successful. I am not an expert in diversity. If you came looking for the pragmatic silver bullet for the multiethnic congregation, I may as well bid you farewell. I don’t have it. I write because of truth I see in the Scriptures, convictions I have in my mind, and longings I feel in my heart.

I believe that the gospel—the good news of Christ crucified in our place to remove the wrath of God and provide forgiveness of sins and power for sanctification—is our only hope for the kind of racial diversity and harmony that ultimately matters. If we abandon the fullness of the gospel to make racial and ethnic diversity quicker or easier, we create a mere shadow of the kingdom, an imitation. And we lose the one thing that can bring about Christ-exalting diversity and harmony. Any other kind is an alluring snare. For what does it profit a man if he gains complete diversity and loses his own soul?

via John Piper: I Was Racist | Christianity Today | A Magazine of Evangelical Conviction.

I shall reserve comment except to say that the radical, God-centered, Gospel embracing spirit of Piper is a great example.

Related articles

• John Piper: Bloodlines (5ptsalt.com)
• Seven Lessons Learned With John Piper In Australia (via Desiring God) (mgpcpastor.wordpress.com)
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Rabbi Joshua Levine Grater says that Glenn Beck’s Jerusalem rally is not good news for Jerusalem and the Jews.

 

The two-state solution, and President Barack Obama’s attempts to revitalize negotiations based on the same set of principles all presidents, prime ministers and negotiators in the Middle East have used for decades, is the only hope for Israel’s survival as a Jewish and democratic state. But Beck doesn’t care about that because the messianic vision of the “end times” actually involves the destruction of Jerusalem, which paves the way for the Second Coming. This is why Beck and the whole Christians United for Israel movement is actually a false front of “support for Israel,” which, sadly, many Jews have bought into as true support. In the interfaith work that I do, though, Muslim, Jewish and, especially, Christian colleagues of mine all agree: Glenn Beck is bringing nothing positive with regard to the healing of our fractured world.

In fact, Beck’s rally is actually a dream come true for Hamas and Hezbollah. They are, unwittingly perhaps, Beck’s radical, religious fundamentalist partners in crime who also crave the war to end the world. Lovers of Israel, friends of the Jewish people and seekers of peace should do some praying of our own: Pray that Israel doesn’t grant Beck a permit for his circus show. This could be one of the smartest things the Netanyahu government ever does.

via Glenn Beck Rally in Jerusalem: Bad for the Jews! | Opinion | Jewish Journal.

It would be a blessing for many Christians who declare that we must always stand by Israel to understand that standing by Israel is not always what the right wingers tell us it is.

Now I’m politically conservative, and much more so than Joel (HT).  I am also a Fundamentalist, or conservative Evangelical (that kind of depends on which camp you are in- “let him that readeth understand”).  That does not change the fact that we must realize that this “Israel first” theology is more of a political ideology that is quite wrong-headed and hurtful to the Jewish people.

There is a difference between being from Israel, being Jewish, and being a Zionist. Don’t believe it?  Click here.

See also John Hagee Is Of The Devil.

Related articles

• Glenn Beck in Israel (israelnationalnews.com)
• Glenn Beck’s religion and mine (thehill.com)
• Glenn Beck Has A Solution For Israel’s Current Social Crisis (huffingtonpost.com)

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In my mind Historic Fundamentalism as a movement was a good thing.  Sure, there were probably excesses.  Human are normally people who go to extremes in almost everything they do.  The goal and the purpose seems to have been honorable, however.

What went wrong?

Why is fundamentalism now distrusted and maligned?

Why is “fundamentalist” synonymous with “extremist”?

One of the issues is the fact that separation became an issue.  Some decided that they would rather not separate from error, but dialogue with those in error in an attempt to win them over.   Personally, I don’t think this has as much to do with the demise of fundamentalism as a movement as the following issues do.

Fundamentalists began to retreat from culture.  Instead of engaging and transforming culture, fundamentalists began to isolate themselves.  They did so to such an extreme that Carl F. H. Henry wrote a book entitled “The Uneasy Conscience of Modern Fundamentalism”.  His contention was that the fundamentalists’ understanding of the Scriptures should have led them to social activism in a redemptive context.  They failed in that respect.

In their retreat from culture and their separation from those in error fundamentalists began to separate from one another over various non-fundamental issues (dress, hair, Bible translations, music, etc.).  They committed a sort of intellectual and spiritual incest by creating their own institutions of learning and actively resisted learning from evangelicals or anyone else, choosing to recycle their students by bringing them into their faculty.  (This is a generalization, but it is an observation from this writer’s experience.)  This led to further isolationism, a clannish spirit within fundamentalism, as well as a growing anti-intellectualism.

Here we are today with fundamentalists struggling to find their identity.  They wonder what a fundamentalist is.  What does he believe?  And, should we even care?

It is this preacher’s contention that it does matter, and that we should care.

It is for this reason that we have this blog.  We long to call people back to the fundamentals of the faith.  We long to help those who have been hurt by extremism.  We long to point out error for the sake of helping those who are in error.

We have been down the extremist route, but we are Fundamentally Changed, though we are Fundamentally The Same.  We are fundamentalists with a capital “F”.  We have not abandoned that.  We have abandoned legalism.  May we encourage you, dear reader, if you are in legalism, to do the same?

Related articles

• If You Wish to Speak Against Fundamentalists, Read Fundamentalists (pastoralmusings.com)
• Fundamentalist Hermeneutics (pastoralmusings.com)
• Fundamentalism and Hate (pastoralmusings.com)
• Historic Fundamentalism and Young Earth Creationism (pastoralmusings.com)
• Fundamentalism, Funeral Protests, and Koran Burnings (pastoralmusings.com)

 

Despite all the many other ways in which Southern Baptist churches cooperate, Southern Baptist officials have propounded the doctrine of local church autonomy as an excuse for denominational do-nothingness on clergy sex abuse. This religious rationalization rests on an island that is void of any moral ground. If Baptist churches cannot cooperate on a shared strategy to better protect children against clergy-predators, they lose moral credibility and they betray the very faith they profess.

via Associated Baptist Press – Opinion: John Jay report holds lessons for Baptists.

There is a legitimate complaint here.  Local church autonomy should certainly not be an obstacle to churches cooperating by at least having a process by which issues could be reported, investigated (with the cooperation of the local church), and at least the possibility of a database of proven offenders being provided for those interested.

Related articles

• The John Jay Report: Why the Woodstock Defense Won’t Do.. (thecatholicthing.org)
• The New John Jay Report on Clergy Abuse in the Catholic Church (psychologytoday.com)
• John Jay abuse report raises two big questions.. (osvdailytake.com)
• Bill Donohue: Abuse report’s failure to note role of homosexuality ‘unacceptable’ (catholicnewsagency.com)
• Child abuse tests how the church relates to the secular world | Catherine Pepinster (guardian.co.uk)
• NH Man Found Guilty of Rape of Tina Anderson (abcnews.go.com)

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Westboro Baptist AKA Fred Phelps and family continues to spew vitriol and hate.

PRAISE GOD FOR DEAD AND INJURED BY TORNADOES AND STORMS IN MISSISSIPPI!

Six confirmed dead and more than 30 injured as severe weather moves through with golf-ball size hail and damaging winds.

GodSmack!

God is marching through Mississippi in great wrath for your slanderous lies out of Brandon, Rankin County, MS! Media reported nation-wide that your cops conspired with the mob to stop a funeral protest that WBC never scheduled or attended.

For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who hold the truth in unrighteousness; Because that which may be known of God is manifest in them; for God hath shewed it unto them. For the invisible things of him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even his eternal power and Godhead; so that they are without excuse. (Ro. 1:18-20.)

via God Punishes Mississippi Liars | GodSmacks!.

It would seem that, if these folks were serious about the Bible, they would realize that God said

“Rejoice not when thine enemy falleth, And let not thine heart be glad when he stumbleth: Lest the LORD see it, and it displease him, And he turn away his wrath from him. ” (Proverbs 24:17–18)

He also said,

“The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance. ” (2 Peter 3:9)

“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: that in the ages to come he might shew the exceeding riches of his grace in his kindness towards us through Christ Jesus. ” (Ephesians 2:4–7)

 

Let’s see this as it is.  The Phelps, et al do not care what Scripture says.  They only care about their perverted, hate-filled version.  They are greedy media whores who somehow are getting money from what they are doing; enough money to keep it up.

It is Westboro who needs to repent.  Thankfully, if they do, God will forgive them.

Related articles

• Westboro Baptist Church plans Hilliard Darby protest (dispatch.com)
• Have The Westboro Baptist Church Been Defeated? (socyberty.com)
• “Mississippi Town Destroys Westboro Baptist Plans” and related posts (theodoresworld.net)
• Estranged son of anti-gay Westboro pastor says father does ‘evil’ (cnn.com)
• Westboro Baptist Cult Gets it Dead Wrong (dakotavoice.com)
• After Court Ruling, Westboro to ‘Quadruple’ Protests at Funerals (abcnews.go.com)
• Patriotic Southerners 1 Westboro Bastards Church 0 (thedaleygator.wordpress.com)
• Nate Phelps Son of Anti-Gay Westboro Baptist Church Leader Fred Phelps Speaks Out (releasedorothy.wordpress.com)

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Someone who claims to be Jonathan Phelps of Westboro Baptist Church has commented here regarding this post about Westboro Baptist going to Mississippi and encountering resistance.

Here is what he said:

Dear Friends:

Just when we thought there was no completely new and original way to get the whole nation talking about the faithful ministry of WBC, you found one. You are AWESOME!

Never mind that the story was complete fiction (since we never have and never would waste time driving that far when a plane and rental car is far more efficient), you got people to get an accurate picture of the face of a doomed nation that will no longer endure sound Bible doctrine and therefore God sends them a spirit of lawlessness as divine judgment.

You saved us funds to attend funerals for soldiers and others in Nebraska, Iowa, and Oklahoma, while still guaranteeing that our core message (God is bringing this evil nation into judgment in an open and notorious manner, chiefly by slaughtering their young and their soldiers, because you have turned the country over to the sodomites) has reached a huge audience AGAIN!

Thank you for your faithlessness and your rage against God (that He turns as a testimony for us). If we weren’t busy planning funeral pickets for the latest GodSmack victims, we would send a representative to come and give you a BIG hug!

These words we preach are going to be heard in the ears of 310 million american brutes, by hook or crook, and you are powerless to stop them. That’s how God rolls.

Jonathan Phelps on behalf of Westboro Baptist Church

My reply:

Dear Mr. Phelps ,

First of all, thanks for taking the time to stop and comment.  Second, I agree that this nation is doomed.  Scripture tells us that nations that forget God will be turned into hell ( Psalm 9:17 ) along with all of the wicked.  I also agree that there are many who do not abide by sound doctrine and do not wish to hear it.

Mr. Phelps, it may well be that the story is fictitious.  I do know that you are the only person to this point who has denied it.  I have also had at least one from the Brandon, MS area who commented, and they did not deny it. In fact, she pretty much confirmed the story.   At this point, I suppose it is safe to believe the story, as I cannot see myself believing you.

All of these things being said, you must understand that you are by no means preaching sound doctrine.  While I agree that homosexual behavior is sinful and immoral, there is no biblical justification for blaming homosexual behavior on the deaths of soldiers.  Soldiers die because our nation has been taken over by forces that are motivated by profits.  They are after unjust gain.  Soldiers are dying because we are fighting unjust wars, and bullets respect no persons.  There is nothing in the inspired Word of God that tells you, or leads you to believe that God approves of you.

As far as my faithlesness is concerned, I must admit that my faith is often weak.  It is strong, however, when I look at Calvary and the empty tomb from which Jesus arose alive and victorious over sin, death, and hell.  It is strong enough to hear Him tell us to go into all the world and preach the good news.  It is strong enough to see that you don’t preach good news, as  you only present hatred and damnation.  You give no hope of deliverance to anyone.  You simply tell them that God hates them.  Does He?  Yes, indeed, He does!  He hates them so much that hell awaits them.  He also loves them so much that Jesus died for their sins and arose from the dead to give them eternal life.  That is the GOSPEL!  That is good news!  That is faithfulness to God and His Word.

“This is a faithful saying, and worthy of all acceptation, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners; of whom I am chief. ” (1 Timothy 1:15)

Am I raging against God?  No.  I am raging against those who deny God by their actions.

“They profess that they know God; but in works they deny him, being abominable, and disobedient, and unto every good work reprobate. ” (Titus 1:16)

Yes, Mr. Phelps, you deny God by your actions.  You profess to know Him, but deny Him by your actions.  God is love, if you will recall ( 1John 4:7-8  ), and He tells us that hate-filled people do not know Him.

Mr. Phelps, I have not intention of beating around the proverbial bush.  You MUST repent.  You must recognize your own sinful self-righteousness and repent, or else you will go to the same torments that all the other wicked are going.

“There were present at that season some that told him of the Galileans, whose blood Pilate had mingled with their sacrifices. And Jesus answering said unto them, Suppose ye that these Galileans were sinners above all the Galileans, because they suffered such things? I tell you, Nay: but, except ye repent, ye shall all likewise perish. Or those eighteen, upon whom the tower in Siloam fell, and slew them, think ye that they were sinners above all men that dwelt in Jerusalem?I tell you, Nay: but except ye repent, ye shall all likewise perish. ” (Luke 13:1–5)

The glorious truth of the gospel is that God will forgive homosexuals, and He will even forgive someone as despicable as you and I are ( 1Corinthians 6:9-11 ).

Thanks for taking the time to comment, to give me the opportunity to clarify to you what the gospel truly is, and to give yourself one more opportunity to repent and believe ( Mark 1:14-15;John 3:16 ).

Sincerely yours,

The Pastor (JasonS)

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Yesterday I posted about the welcome Fred Phelps and Westboro “Baptist Church” received in Mississippi.  That post has received about 2,000 clicks alone in 24 hours.  That amazes me.

Obviously, for many different reasons, Fred Phelps brings sensitive issues to light.

Let’s forget “gay rights”, and just recognize that Christians aren’t necessarily “anti-gay”.  They are anti homosexual behavior.  There is a difference.  That, however, is not the important thing that we need to take away from the whole discussion.  Not by a long shot.

The important issue with Phelps, et al is the issue of civility.  Phelps has the freedom to protest at funerals, if he wishes.  I’ll not begrudge him his freedom, though I may have helped block a few cars with Kansas licenses if I were present.  Phelps simply has shown us that incivility is horrible.

What is sad is that many on the other side of the issue cannot see that answering incivility with incivility is wrong.  None of that group deserved a beating.  I think, too, those who were blocked in could have had someone to sit down, explain to them that they weren’t going to let them disrupt the solemn observance on a funeral, and then buy them lunch.  It would not have hurt at all.

Folks, Phelps isn’t a Christian.  He’s hate-filled.  That is obvious.  What is in his heart shows up as the fruit of actions.  Those actions show hate, because they speak hate.  That’s what his signs say.  This isn’t about homosexuality.  This is about what is true Christianity and what isn’t.  Mississippi did a good job stopping the protest, but we failed in that we didn’t show Phelps what true Christianity is.

Though I don’t think Mr. Phelps will ever visit here, I wish all to understand that God is love, that He loves the world and demonstrated that love by becoming a man and dying for our sins, then rising from the dead.  That loving God will forgive ALL SINNERS who trust Him ( See John 3:16 ), EVEN Fred Phelps.

We live in a society that has forgotten what civility is, because we have forgotten what Christianity is.

Christianity is not a social movement.

Christianity is not a political party.

Christianity is not a moral stance.

Christianity is not even a church.

Christianity is a relationship with God through faith in Jesus Christ.

There are those of us who are against homosexual behavior who still understand that God LOVES homosexuals ( See 1Corinthians 6:9-11 ), and will forgive them their sins.  He also LOVES Fred Phelps and will forgive him, if he trusts Jesus.

We need to learn to discern…

Related articles

• Jeremy Hodges: Westboro Baptist Church Goes To Mississippi – And Loses (thehayride.com)
• Americans Ready to Picket The Funeral of Fred Phelps The Pastor of The Westboro Baptist Church (newsflavor.com)
• Faithlink Discussion: Free Speech (jacobjuncker.wordpress.com)
• Patriot Guard Riders (dakotavoice.com)
• The Fred Phelps Supreme Court Decision and Why We Shouldn’t Look for Loopholes in the First Amendment (alternet.org)