PROTESTANT/CATHOLIC STUFF
2029
THE IMAGE OF THE INVISIBLE GOD
The chapter for this week is Colossians 1.
When we read the New Testament- for the most part we are
reading ‘crisis letters’.
Huh?
The apostle Paul wrote the majority of the letters that make
up the New Testament- and his life was spent proclaiming the gospel of Jesus-
and refuting the false teachings that the early church had to deal with.
In this letter to the church that lived at Colosse [a city
in the days of Jesus] the error that the apostle combated was Asceticism.
Which simply means the idea that the way we gain favor with
God is thru strict self denial- to the point of injuring your self.
Now- in the bible we do read that we should deny ourselves-
practice habits of self denial [fasting] and ‘keep our bodies in subjection’.
But in the church at Colosse they took it too far.
So- in chapter one Paul presents the reality of God- that he
created all things- visible and invisible- and he declares unto us a mystery-
something that was hidden until the time of Christ.
What is it?
Paul says ‘Christ in you- the hope of glory’.
Often times you hear the phrase ‘Jesus is in my heart’-
well- in a sense- that is true.
‘Christ in you’ simply means that the Holy Spirit [Christ
not only denotes the person of Jesus- but it was his title- he was the anointed
one who was to come- Christ means Anointed One].
So- Paul tells us the Spirit of God dwells in the heart of
the believer- that Christianity is not simply obeying rules- or self denial
[the problem Paul is refuting].
But it is a new way of life made possible because God’s
Spirit lives inside of us.
Paul also refers to God as ‘Our father’.
Jesus shocked the religious world of his day when he
referred to God- as not only his father- but ours too!
If you remember- the Jewish people at the time said ‘he is
making himself equal with God- because he claims to be the Son of God’.
Now- was their accusation true?
Yes.
Was Jesus claiming deity for himself?
Now- this is indeed where it gets tough for some.
I have lots of friends of other faiths.
And most of the time I try and take an open minded approach.
But- in this area- this is what makes Christianity unique
among the other religions of the world.
Jesus did indeed claim deity- that he was the Son of God.
The critics say ‘see- he was crazy’.
The followers say ‘no- he was telling the truth’.
The apostle Paul refers to God as our father- and this ‘new’
way of seeing God- has remained with the followers of Christ ever since.
A short note;
Many approaches to God/religion are based upon the same
belief that the Colossians were being influenced by.
That God is a mean judge- that if we try hard- to obey- we
will escape his wrath.
But if we mess up- and stumble- he will judge us.
Okay- the basic reality of God as judge is true- to a
degree.
When people are ‘outside of Christ’ [do not embrace him as
the Messiah].
They are indeed under the judgment of God- the apostle Paul
said ‘if your approach to God is based solely on law- then you are mandated to
keep every point’.
The legalistic approach to God- which many good people
embrace- sort of views God as someone who might have grown up in a harsh home-
or maybe a home without a dad.
This view- though well meaning- still sees ‘dad’ as the mean
guy who you better watch out for.
The view Jesus gave us was a different one.
That God is our father too- and because Jesus- as our ‘elder
brother’- took the Cross for us- we now have the ability to approach God based
on Grace- not based on our strict obedience to the law.
This ‘family’ view of God is indeed unique to Christianity-
and of course I embrace this view myself [when I pray- I do indeed approach God
as my father- like Jesus taught us in the model prayer- the Our father].
Okay- that’s just a brief overview of chapter 1.
Try and read that chapter before the week is out.
Meditate on the reality that God created all things-
invisible- and visible.
He is the creator of it all.
Jesus is ‘the image of the invisible God’.
The way we know- see the character of God- is by seeing and
learning from the life of Christ.
The disciple Philip asked Jesus ‘Show us the Father’ [in
John’s gospel].
Jesus said ‘have I been all this time with you- and you
still don’t know what the Father is like- if you have seen me- you have seen
the father’.
Jesus was ‘God in the flesh’ [we call this the Incarnation-
God become man].
If you want a view of God- a ‘lens’ to see him by- then look
at Jesus.
Jesus said ‘take my yoke upon you- and learn of me- for I am
meek and lowly- and you shall find rest for your souls’.
Christianity offers an approach to God that says ‘come unto
me- all you who labor and are tired- you will find rest’.
NOTE- Christianity in the first century was not born in a
vacuum.
Of course the major World View was Judaism- but the second-
very strong influence/philosophy of the day was Greek wisdom [thus my quote in
the last post ‘The Greeks seek wisdom’].
In the letter to the Colossians- the Apostle refutes
Asceticism- which was indeed a belief of the Greek philosophers.
Greek wisdom taught that the material realm was evil.
Way back about 6 centuries before Christ- you had the famous
Philosopher Socrates.
His most famous student was Plato.
And Plato’s most famous student was Aristotle.
When Socrates was put to death- because of his supposed bad
influence on the youth of his time [he taught them to questions stuff!].
It is reported that he calmly drank the Cyanide- because he
believed that when he would die- be released from his body [the so called evil
realm of matter] that he would finally ‘be free’.
Now- do Christians believe this?
Yes and no.
Because our bibles were written in Greek [which shows you
how strong the Greek influence effected the early church- our first New
Testaments were written in Greek- though the Roman Empire was the world Empire
of the day.
But Alexander the Great- the famed Greek conqueror who came
a few centuries before Christ- he instituted what we refer to as Helenization.
A form of conquering where you let the people you conquer
keep their culture- but you also use parts of your culture [in this case the
Greek language] to permeate the vanquished.
So- the Roman Empire of Jesus day [who at one time were
under the rule of the Greek Empire] continued to write in Greek.
It wasn’t until around a few centuries after the time of
Christ that the first Latin bible was written [by Saint Jerome].
But even his bible [the Latin Vulgate] used the Greek Old
Testament [called the Septuagint] instead of the Hebrew- for his Latin
translation.
Ok- the point being- the Greek world did indeed have a
strong influence on the early church.
And the church had to refute the belief that all matter was
evil.
The Christian doctrine of creation [developed under saint Augustine-
the 4th-5th century bishop of Hippo- North Africa].
Was the teaching that matter was good- that God created the
material realm- so it is not inherently
evil.
But- after the fall of man [Genesis 1-3] a curse did indeed
come upon the earth [some times when the bible says ‘the world’ it is speaking
of the earth- but other times it is speaking of the fallen order- the sinful
realm of man. That’s why there is some confusion- till this day- among
Christians. They might read verses like this- and think the bible is saying the
earth itself- the planet- is wicked. Actually in those verses it is speaking
about the fallen order of sinful men. See? ‘For all that is in THE WORLD- the
lust of the flesh- the lust of the eyes and the pride of life- is not of the
father- but is of the WORLD- and the WORLD is passing away’- this is one
example from the epistle of John- here the World is not saying the planet- but
the world of sinful man- a fallen ‘world’ order.]
So- in conclusion [if I ever get there!] we- as believers-
reject the belief that all matter is evil.
No- man was created in the image of God- and God is the
creator of all things- both visible [earth- man- etc] and invisible [mentioned
in the above chapter].
The evil we see in the ‘world’ today is simply a result of
mans sin- mans choice to live in rebellion against God.
We can’t escape ‘this world of sin’ by simply denying
ourselves [though that is one aspect of the Christian life].
But God sent his Son into the world to redeem man- Christ
died for all men- and this is the Divine act of Salvation.
When we as humans partake of this Salvation- we are then
free- free to enjoy this life- that God gave us- and we don’t have to have the
mindset of a Socrates- who saw this natural life as evil.
The apostle Paul says in his letter to the Romans;
‘Present your bodies as a living sacrifice- HOLY and
acceptable to God’.
See?
Our bodies- the actual flesh we live in- can be Holy-
sanctified- when submitted to the will of God.
Note- Do me a favor, those who
read/like the posts- re-post them on other sites as well as the site you read
them on. Thanks- John. Don’t forget to scroll down on the timeline [FaceBook] -
I have posted lots.
2027
WHERE DID THEY GO?
First a quick note-
As of right now I’m not able to regularly hook up to the
internet- so I’m going to write these posts- and then post them when I get a
chance.
If I don’t comment- or ‘like’ a note a friend may give-
that’s because I can’t.
Sometimes I get a quick- week- wireless connection in my
area- and you might see me post a note- and then I lose the connection when I
try and ‘like’ something- or return a comment.
So- don’t feel bad [which happens quite often in social
media venues!] if that happens to you.
Ok- this week I had a few people ask me about the
resurrection- what does the bible teach about a person when they die.
I explained the ‘normal’ Christian belief- found in 1st
Corinthians chapter 15.
I also left room for a few other Christian groups- that have
different ideas about what happens between death and the resurrection [like
those who believe in soul sleep- that the Christian is simply in a state of
unaware ‘waiting’ until the Return of Christ].
And I told my friend that I don’t see these other Christian
groups as really bad- or heretics- because they have a little different view.
Ok- my view [the classic view- for both Catholics and
Protestants].
We believe that when a believer dies- their Spirit/Soul go
right into the presence of God [To be absent from the body is to be present
with the Lord- Apostle Paul said this].
The body goes into the grave and at the Return of Christ-
what we call the 2nd coming- the Body and soul of the believer who
died- are re-united and they are raised from the dead.
The Christians who are still alive at this point- they don’t
‘see death’- but are also transformed and receive a Glorified body [a
resurrection body] at this point.
The main bible chapters on this are 1st
Corinthians chapter 15- and 1st Thessalonians 4.
My friend also asked about the present state of the dead
believer- are they aware? Do they know what’s going on?
Yes- even though they do not yet have their resurrection
body- they are in Gods presence [what we call the Beatific vision- ‘seeing
God’] and they know what’s going on.
That’s the basic Christian teaching- for both Catholics and
Protestants.
In Protestant circles- there are varying degrees on some aspects
[some hold to a belief in the Rapture- a teaching that comes from a different
reading of Paul’s letter- 1st Thessalonians 4. These believe that
the second coming is in 2 stages- and this puts a little different spin on when
the resurrection occurs- but for the most part these hold to the basic teaching
about the actual resurrection body].
What about it?
The resurrection body is the same type of body that Christ
had after he rose from the dead.
What we refer to as a glorified body.
In the bible we read about others who were raised from the
dead- but these people died later- and their bodies- though raised from the
dead- were not resurrection bodies.
A common question is ‘what are these bodies going to be
like- will we recognize each other’?
Yes- but at the same time the apostle Paul gives a response
to this question in Corinthians 15.
He says that when you plant a seed- the seed dies- but the
plant that comes out of the ground is not simply a bigger seed!
But it is a whole new type of thing.
He uses this analogy to describe the resurrection body- the
body believers will get when they are raised from the dead.
So- that’s the basic Christian teaching.
Though there are various Christian groups who interpret some
of these verses a little differently- as long as they still hold to the actual
belief in the physical resurrection of the body- I think they are ‘safe’ [safe=
still basically holding to sound truth].
There are some though- who deny the actual resurrection
[that is they spiritualize it- and say the resurrection is simply the reality
that we as believers have already experienced a sort of resurrection- which is
true- but this does not negate the actual physical one to come].
Believers in this camp- are in danger- in my view [as well
as the apostle Paul’s- that’s why he wrote the 15th chapter of 1st
Corinthians].
There were some in the church at Corinth who were denying the belief in the
resurrection- Paul told them-
‘if you say there is no resurrection- then that means you
also don’t believe that Christ was raised- and if you don’t believe that Christ
was raised- then you are still in your sins and your faith is vain’
Strong words indeed.
So that’s the scoop- we- as believers- believe that our
loved ones who have died in the faith are
now in Gods presence- conscious- and in pain and sorrow no more.
At the second coming of Christ- they will be re-united with
their bodies- raised from the dead- to die no more.
This is a major Christian doctrine- the resurrection from
the dead.
Once again- in chapter 15 of 1st Corinthians- the
apostle Paul- speaking to the believers who were beginning to doubt the
resurrection- said
‘If our belief in Christ is for this life only [meaning
there is no after life] then we are of all men most miserable’.
The resurrection gives us hope- it also gives us hope for
our loved ones who have died- they might be ‘gone’ right now- but we will
indeed see them again some day.
NOTE- this is the first ‘official’ post from New Jersey.
Being I don’t have a good internet connection- I’ll try and
add stuff at times at the bottom of the posts.
I’m able to catch a Wi-Fi hook up every now and then- but
it’s very weak.
Of course the big ‘news story’ for the past few days is the
Zimmerman thing.
To be honest- I have not followed this case much at all- the
amount of news coverage was silly- we did [do] have lots of much bigger news
stories to cover- but much time was wasted on this.
Okay- my opinion?
From the start- I tried not to take sides- many in the media
saw this as a ‘right/left’ issue- that’s a mistake- in my mind.
I said I thought that Zimmerman was sort of a Wannabe cop-
and that he did go much further then he should have as some neighborhood watch
guy.
As I listened to the arguments- from both sides- there was
some credence to the prosecutions closing arguments that showed that Zimmerman
was following Trayvon- and they did a good job at showing that when he got out
of the car- he more than likely already knew the street name/address- but said
he was looking for it because he knew the person from the PD said not to follow
him.
But- as I was discussing this with someone- I said even
though I’m not a defender of Zimmerman-yet- there was enough reasonable doubt-
that at the time he shot Trayvon- it just might have met the criteria of self
defense.
And that’s indeed what the jury thought as well.
So- at the end of the day- I feel bad for the poor mom- she
is a good Christian lady who did want justice for her son.
Even though Trayvon was demonized by some on the right- he
was a human being- a kid from a home without a dad- and his mom loved him- very
much.
His mom also chose to not make this a racial thing- they
were the ones [his parents] that forced their side- the prosecution- to not go
down that road.
I commend her for that.
As of today- there is much talk about doing the federal
charges- the hate crimes thing.
Now the way this justice dept. is under Holder- they just
might do it.
I don’t say that simply because Holder is Black- but because
he has a record of using the justice dept as a sort of an arm of the civil
rights agenda’s of people like Sharpton and Jackson.
So- he might just go for it- which I think would be a big
mistake- and be an injustice to those who are really victims of true hate
crimes.
Okay- that’s it for now- I’ll try and post this today if I
get a connection.
God bless.
P.S. I’m still
settling ‘in the land’ but in time might try and do some home bible study type
things.
If so- when I start some- I’ll simply see if any of you in
the NY/NJ area are interested to host one [just open a living room for an hour-
maybe make coffee- pretty simple].
Keep that in mind and pray about it if you want to host one.
Thanks- John.
Note- Do me a favor, those who
read/like the posts- re-post them on other sites as well as the site you read
them on. Thanks- John. Don’t forget to scroll down on the timeline [FaceBook] -
I have posted lots.
2024 MACKY SAYS NO TO
THE HOMOS! [Huh?]
Let me first make a few comments about the recent death of
my sister Laura.
It’s especially sad-
because for many years my sister looked forward to one day living with me and
my family.
Over the years- she would make statements that when my mom
passed away- she would like to move to Texas.
For those unfamiliar with our family situation- my sister
had some devastating effects from years of drug addiction.
I know- and have worked with lots of ‘mainline’ drug addicts
thru out my life.
And I can honestly say- Laura had some of the worst effects
I have ever seen.
I’m not sure why- but it was obvious that she had some very
bad effects early on.
As I young kid- in my early 20’s- when I went back home-
from Texas- on various visits- I could see that something happened.
Sort of like when you might have a family relative who has
some type of mental disability- the other family members are aware that
something is not right.
Don’t get me wrong- you still love and care for that person-
but you know something is dysfunctional.
So- this was our families experience with my sister Laura.
As I mentioned in the last post- she looked up to me- maybe
more than in a normal sibling situation- because early on I did influence her
with my faith in God.
When I really got involved in the ministry- I passed this
type of Evangelical faith to my sister.
But- I was one of the few Evangelicals I knew- that was not
anti Catholic- at all.
So- over the years- when I would see that Laura- like many
Protestants- took a strong anti Catholic view- I tried my best to counter
balance it.
She was a huge fan of the famous radio preacher Harold
Camping.
Now- those of you who have read my blog will realize that I
do not hold to the very popular End Times scenarios that you see on the
American church scene.
Camping was a staunch End Times type of guy- who of course
was famous for his false predictions of the End of the World.
But- because I realized Laura looked up to him- a lot- I was
careful when I refuted his views about stuff like this.
For those not too familiar with Theology- Camping also held
to what’s called Calvinism.
The jist of this is the belief in the doctrine of
Predestination- that those who are saved are the Elect.
That God chose those from before time- and these are the
ones who ‘in time’ get saved.
Now- ‘wars’ have been fought over this doctrine.
Suffice it to say that the original reformers [Luther
included] did indeed hold to this ‘Augustinian’ view [Saint Augustine- the very
influential 4th/5th century Catholic bishop from Hippo-
North Africa- taught the doctrine of predestination. This has made him both a
favorite among many Protestants- as well a Catholics].
So- I was able- over the years- to have good talks with
Laura- because I was familiar with lots of the history- as well as what the
bible teaches- on this stuff.
As a matter of fact- in a little while I will be going to
church- at the Catholic Cathedral here in Corpus Christi.
I basically made it my Home Church as I spend my last week
in Texas.
So- over the next few weeks- maybe I will share some of the
talks I had with Laura over the years.
When I told my family a few months ago that I was moving
back to the area- I know my sister was really looking forward to it.
That’s why it’s sad that she died a week before my return.
Okay- being I mentioned Africa [how’s this for a segway?]
let’s talk a little about the Presidents recent trip to the continent.
This past week President Obama has been touring the
continent.
His visit has been overshadowed by the poor health of the
great civil rights leader- Nelson Mandela.
For a week or so he has been on what most think is his final
leg of the journey- that he’s ready to die.
So the President has been aware of this- and met with the
family and has handled it well.
But- he did indeed get rebuked publicly by the president of
Senegal- Macky Sall.
As most of you know- the Supreme Court struck down the DOMA
law last week [Defense of Marriage Act].
This law was enacted by President Clinton- it limited the
Federal govt. from recognizing gay marriage.
It is interesting to note that both Clinton and Obama
praised the decision to strike it down as a great day for civil rights in our
country.
Whatever your view on this is- the point is the law was
signed by Clinton- and only a year and a half ago- Obama himself was against
gay marriage.
So- it is a little disingenuous to label those against gay
marriage as bigots- unless you too believe that Obama was a bigot just a short
time ago.
Any way when he was in Senegal he spoke about the SCOTUS
ruling and hailed it as a great day.
Now- Africa is a continent that has a lot of
states/countries that have laws against homosexuality.
Senegal is one of them [there are about 38 states who outlaw
it on the continent].
So- when President Obama gave Senegal this rebuke.
Their president rebuked back!
He said they were not ‘Homophobic’.
But- as a majority Muslim nation [about 95%] they are not
going to accept gay marriage- and that’s that.
Macky was praised by his people- and the media- who are very
open about the subject.
A few headlines from some of the outspoken papers read;
‘NO- WE CANT’ [as opposed to Obama’s famous Yes We Can].
‘FIRM- YET SUBTLE’
And the most outspoken of all-
‘OBAMA MAKES A PLEA FOR THE HOMOS- MACKY SAYS NO’ [Ouch!]
So- as you can see- Senegal has no intentions on changing
its stance any time soon.
I find it interesting- because Obama has been rebuked
recently by China [Hong Kong]- Russia- and now Senegal!
I don’t cheer when I see this- but I recognize that we are
in trouble in the world.
It was surreal to see our plea to Hong Kong [and now Russia]
that they should turn over the Whistle Blower Snowden- out of respect for the
‘Rule of Law’.
Then to hear Holder [attorney general] use the same
language.
This last year we have seen- on actual news video- both
Holder and other high ranking Obama folk- actually lying to congress- on
national TV.
James Clapper- a top intelligence guy- when asked if the US
govt. was collecting large amounts of data- any data- on US citizens.
He responded ‘no- not that I know of- not intentionally’.
Then- when it came out that indeed the govt. was [thru the
now infamous Prism program].
Clapper said ‘well- I gave the best- least truthful answer I
could’.
Actually it is a crime to lie to congress- so the ‘least
truthful’ is still a crime.
As you can see- when these same guys publicly appeal to the
rule of law- in rebuking Hong Kong and others- it seems laughable.
And when the president of a small state in Sub Saharan
Africa publicly rebukes the leader of the free world.
Then yes- we know there’s trouble on the horizon.
NOTE- The Supreme
Court also struck down parts of the voting rights act of 1965. Under this law
the Federal govt. had strict oversight of any changes that some of the Southern
states made to their election process. Of course the purpose of this law- which
was noble when enacted- was to protect the rights of minorities in the South.
Over time [according to the majority- and a belief Chief justice Roberts has
voiced in the past] as the landscape changed- some viewed this act as not being
necessary any more- that is for the federal govt to basically take the ‘right’
from the state to govern its own affairs.
Some think the court- in a way- was acting schizophrenic-
saying in the Gay Marriage case- it acted Liberal.
But in the Voting case- Conservative.
I don’t see that.
The court- in a way- acted ‘conservative’ [I really don’t
like these distinctions- but it’s hard to explain this without them] in both
cases.
Judicial ‘conservatism’ simply means the court should be
wary in overturning existing law- the will of congress and the President.
Now- most pundits
will say Chief Justice John Roberts flinched on this when he ruled with the
majority liberal opinion- and allowed Obama Care to stand.
Either way- in these recent rulings- at least in the two I
mentioned above- you could argue that the court still ruled conservative.
How?
Because both of the above rulings said ‘let the states
decide- have more control over the destiny of the people in their states’.
So- in a way- you could view both of the decisions as
conservative in a way.
It should be noted that justice Anthony Kennedy- the ‘swing
vote’ for the 9 who sit on the bench- played that role again.
He sided with the 4 liberals on the DOMA ruling- and went
the other way on the Voting Rights Act.
Let me note- even though these debates rile up the
‘religious’ electorate.
I try and keep a balance between my religious convictions-
and the actual effect of the rulings.
For instance- though I am not a proponent of Gay Marriage-
yet- as voiced in Kennedys opinion- there is a form of discrimination that same
sex couples experience by not having the same ‘right’ to marry- as heterosexual
couples have.
This extends to all types of benefits and stuff.
So- even though I don’t side with some- even in the church-
who are pro ‘Gay Marriage’.
Yet- I think these concerns- about equality in general- need
to also be looked at.
NOTE 2- being I’m kinda doing a weekly news update- let me
mention the drop of the Dow last week.
Why did it happen?
I find it interesting that basically nothing has changed-
like I have been commenting for 2 years now- the European debt crisis is still
there- even worse.
The outlook for the U.S. has also been ‘re-adjusted’
downward- growth for the year was originally estimated to be about 2.4 %.
Now- they are saying about 1.5.
Globally- Chinas economy is also worse than previously
expected.
Why is that a big deal?
China was considered to be the hope for the rest of the
ailing world economies.
They were a power house a few years ago- not so any more.
The drop?
Our markets fell- for one day- because Ben Bernanke ‘hinted’
that the Fed might stop ‘digitizing’ money next year.
Huh?
The Federal Reserve has been buying US debt- to the tune of
80 Billion a month- for the past year or 2.
Now- what the Fed actually does is simply ADDS NUMBERS to
the accounts.
Like if you simply looked at your bank account on-line- and
added multiple zeros to it.
That’s it- that’s how the Fed has been ‘adding’ money into
the system.
How does that help- why do they do this?
The hope [which has worked somewhat] was that by doing this-
it reduces the ‘cost’ of borrowing money [keeps the % rate low] and in the end
it would make it easier for the economy to recover.
Is that the only effect this has?
No.
It also ‘inflates’- in my view- falsely- the market.
Why?
This extra 80 billion a month- finds its way into the
market- it boosts the DOW.
Understand- the market is up- because this money is doing
that- not because the global market is doing good.
See?
So- the Fed hinted they might stop doing this next year- and
the same day the markets went down.
Then how do you explain the recovery?
Simple- the Fed gave in [to this pressure] and said ‘no
wait- we didn’t mean it- okay- we will keep printing fake money’.
And the ‘children crying in the market place’ were happy
again [this reference is from Jesus- he said this generation- the one of his
day- were like kids crying- they just wanted their way all the time].
So- in my view- the world markets- not even adding in the
tremendous unrest in the Arab/Muslim world [the problem- as I write, that Egypt
might go thru another overthrow if things get out of hand in the ongoing
protests- The Syrian war- spreading beyond it’s borders. The unrest in Turkey-
geez- we are even seeing unrest in Brazil!].
These are all bad signs- I am not an alarmist- I am not
predicting the End of the World here- but I see a real denial among some of the
financial advisors- they just don’t want to see the writing on the wall.
NOTE 3- Augustine.
I personally am a fan of Saint Augustine. He is one of the famous
church fathers of the early centuries.
In my view he holds a distinct place- he is admired by both
staunch Protestants [Reformed Theologians]- and Catholics.
Why?
The original Protestant Reformation of the 16th
century had 3 key figures.
Martin Luther [Germany]- Ulrich Zwingli [Swiss] and John
Calvin [studied for the priesthood in Paris- later took a key role in Geneva
Switzerland].
One of the key beliefs- of at least 2 of these 3- was the
doctrine mentioned above- Predestination.
It is a common mistake in our day to see historical
documentaries [I have seen some] that refer to Calvin as someone who believed
in Predestination [true] and that Luther disagreed with him.
That’s wrong [but you have to study theology to find this
out- a brief reading of church history does not show you this- that’s why some
of the well meaning documentaries you might see on the History channel get this
wrong].
Okay- Martin Luther was a Catholic Monk- under an order
called the Augustinian order- named after St. Augustine.
See?
Even though he would break away from the church- and the
Lutheran church would form- yet he held to the original belief that the
founder/namesake of his order taught.
Now- you do indeed find many verses in the bible that speak
about God choosing us- and not us ‘choosing him’.
Or chapters [Romans 9] that say Gods choice of us has
nothing to do with our own goodness- but he chose us because he loved us.
So- this teaching does indeed have scriptural backing.
But- you also have scripture to back up the opposing view-
which is referred to as Arminianism.
Named after another church leader- Jacob Arminius.
He held to the Calvinist view at first- but as he began
studying- to defend this view- he came to the belief that this view [at least
among its more radical adherents] was wrong.
These 2 groups- Calvinists- Armenians- became enemies as the
Protestant Reformation grew.
The followers of men like John Wesley [founder of the
Methodist church] disagreed strongly with those who held to the Calvinist view.
In our day- you still have adherents of both views- seeing
the ‘other side’ as non Christian.
It’s sad- but this is just one- of thousands of teachings-
that have had this effect.
The Catholic leaders warned of this at the time of the
breakaway- which took place in the 16th century.
They feared that once you made a clean break from the
historic church- that the ‘breaking’ would never stop.
As you look at the scene over the past 500 years- it’s hard
to say they were wrong.
One last note- many modern Protestants do not hold
Augustine- or any of the men mentioned above- in high regard at all.
Some hold to a belief [another popular one in groups that
are Restorationist- as opposed to Reformist] that all of the early Christian
expressions got off course [apostatized] and that the only ‘true’ church- just
happens to be the group they are in.
Once again- this type of belief simply increases the
division in the church- in my view.
Many reject men like Augustine- because of his influence by
the Greek philosophers- they charge that some of the early church leaders were
too much into philosophy.
For instance- one of the first Christian schools ever
founded was in Alexandria- Egypt.
In the 2nd/3rd century Origen- an
early church father- would take over the school and teach Christian theology.
But- the school was basically a school that first taught
Greek philosophy.
Origen is respected by many [like me] but officially the
church does not recognize him as a legitimate Church farther.
Why?
Because he did indeed hold to some views that were not
Christian based- like the pre- existence of the soul.
This belief comes straight from Greek philosophy- not
Christianity.
He also believed in what we refer to as Universalism- that
at the end- everyone gets saved- even the Devil!
So- this debate has gone on for centuries- the debate over
how ‘Platonic’ so and so is- or did men like Thomas Aquinas [ 13th
century- another favorite of mine] simply mix Aristotelian thought [Aristotle]
in with Christian teaching- and thus water down the true faith.
This is also the reason many [most] Protestants do not teach
Philosophy- as a basic plank- in their seminaries.
I think this is a big mistake.
Philosophy- as a field- deals with the basic issues of life.
Why are we hear- what’s the purpose of mans existence- etc.
For the Protestant church to have basically abandoned this
field- this left the secular world to shape it as they wish.
But- the Catholic Church has indeed engaged in this field-
and in my view- has presented a better world view- than the secular
philosophers.
Okay- now this post is becoming an entire study!
That’s it for now- I have lots of posts like this on the
blog- if you want- just look them up there.
Note- Do me a favor, those who
read/like the posts- re-post them on other sites as well as the site you read
them on. Thanks- John. Don’t forget to scroll down on the timeline [FaceBook] -
I have posted lots.
2008
4-1-13
Today I begin the 2nd quarterly journal of 2013.
When I did the first- I had no idea that this might be a new
format from now on.
As of today- I’m not dead set on it- but I think the
format is beneficial.
Okay- I went to Easter service yesterday- I visited a
Catholic church in the area that I never went to before [I attend both Catholic
and Protestant churches on and off- but I have been making the Mass pretty
regularly the last few weeks].
I also watched a few of the services from Rome- being its
Holy Week.
It would be too much to try and cover each chapter that was
referenced- but maybe I can hit a few high points.
About a month ago I read Zechariah chapter 12.
It’s what we call a Messianic prophecy- which speaks of
Christ.
A famous line ‘they shall look upon him whom they have
pierced’.
The apostle Paul alludes to this in his letter to the
Romans- chapters 11-12.
He speaks about the Jewish nation- and how at the return of
Christ they will mourn for Jesus- they will recognize that he was the Messiah
they were waiting for.
Now- as I also read the book of Luke this past month- I
focused in on the Passion chapters during Holy Week.
Out of the 4 gospels the church has- 3 are fairly similar-
but the gospel of John stands alone.
The majority of John’s gospel focuses in on the last week of
Christ’s earthly life- the others cover a broader time period.
In the crucifixion accounts we see Jesus realizing that
what’s happening is the fore ordained hand of God.
It’s sort of like he’s
‘in charge’ [well- he is!] but in a way that even confounds the
authorities.
Pilate says ‘don’t you know I have the power to take your
life’?
Jesus ‘you have no
power- except what God gave you’.
You see this ‘in between the lines’ sense of Jesus saying
‘do what you have to do- lets get this thing over with’.
He knew it had to happen.
In one of the Masses from Rome- the English interpreter used
a word I though was strange.
I’m not sure if she was using the right word- even though it
‘fit’.
The new Pope- Francis- was speaking Latin.
And the interpreter was saying ‘immolation’.
Talking about Christ’s passion.
Now- the word immolation means burning- if you remember my
political posts of a couple years back.
When I covered the Arab Spring- the first nation to rebel
was Tunisia.
In the streets of Tunis a merchant ‘self immolated’- burned
himself to death- as a sign of protest against oppressive govt.
This sparked the Arab Spring.
So- how cold this fit in with the Passion of Christ?
In the Old Testament we have a system of sacrifices- animals
being sacrificed- as a sign of the future sacrifice of Christ.
One of the notable ones is the Burnt Offering.
Jesus- according to the book of Hebrews- fulfilled the sacrificial
system by his death on the Cross.
During his earthly ministry he spoke about fire- baptism.
He says to the disciples one time ‘can you be baptized with
my baptism’?
They answer yes.
Jesus says they will indeed be baptized with it- but not in
the way they think.
He was talking about the ‘baptism of fire’.
The suffering they would have to face in the coming days.
He in essence was saying ‘you too must pass thru the fire-
like me’.
Jesus said at one time ‘I have come to set fire on the earth-
and how I wish it were already started’.
Huh?
Fire?
Self immolation- what’s your point.
Jesus was talking about himself- he was going to be the
‘brunt offering’ the ‘self immolation’ that would spark the ‘Kingdom spring’-
see?
In Zechariah 12 it speaks about those who fight- war against
Jerusalem- Gods people.
One of the images is those who set themselves against it
will get burned.
That the governors of Judah [the elders]- they are like
‘sheaf’s of fire’ In the midst of the wood- all who lay hold of it get burned.
Yes- Jesus was the ultimate sheaf- they lit he torch- so to
speak- at Calvary.
They did not realize what they were doing.
They started a fire that they could not put out.
Note- Do me a favor, those who
read/like the posts- re-post them on other sites as well as the site you read
them on. Thanks- John. Don’t forget to scroll down on the timeline [Face- book]
- I have posted lots.
2007
FATHER FORGIVE THEM- THEY DON’T
KNOW WHAT THEY DO
Today is 3-26-13- we are in the
middle of Holy Week.
The reading from the Mass this
week was from Luke 23.
It suprised me how much
manipulation of the system took place around the Crucifixion of Jesus.
I mean I read it before- many
times- but because of my present circumstances I see more [I do not equate
myself at all with the real wrong that occurred at Christ’s trial- it’s just
because of my situation I see more right now].
As the people accuse Christ- he
just realizes there’s really nothing he can do about it.
I have had people- people I never
met- just friends I made on Face Book over the years.
I would log on and get cursed out
in a message- bad.
Then of course they block you- so
they leave the accusation- from what they read on-line- and go.
Or people seeing you on the
street- actually following you- or yelling at you.
I mean I do live among the ‘least
of these’ and have been in dangerous spots- lots.
But you realize you really can’t
defend yourself- not even to relatives who read the stuff on line and give you
dirty looks at family events.
I mean you don’t realize how bad
it gets- until you’re in the middle of the thing.
And if you start going down the
road of ‘no- wait- this is what happened’- forget it- it makes you feel worse.
So- in Christ’s trial and
crucifixion he just commits it all to God.
It’s like they want him to defend
himself ‘don’t you know I have the power to kill you’?
‘You have no power- only what God
gives’.
Yeah- Jesus knew the score.
The last week or so I have run
into a few friends/street people who have had problems with the mind.
Over the years I have had a small
percentage of homeless friends who have suffered from this.
Lots of the homeless do get
disability from what we call MHMR [mental health thing in Texas].
But a lot of it is a scam- they
go for a check-up- and get the check.
Some refer to it as ‘did you get
your nut check yet’.
Yeah- a scam for many- but not
all.
I had a funny feeling the other
day.
As I’m reading thru the Dylan
book- I can see what a genius he was.
But I can tell that he did not
realize- in every event- that he was losing it.
Losing what?
His skills [which he admits] but
also his hold on reality [which I don’t think he realizes- even now].
He talks bout touring with Tom
Petty- or another popular group- and how he realizes that the crowds are
showing up for them- not him.
I too remember seeing a
performance or 2- on TV- about this time.
Dylan did look- sound bad.
But he says he found little break throughs- certain techniques- that
made it work.
As you read what he thinks was a
breakthrough- and you can tell he knows his stuff- yet you realize that he’s saying
at the start of a song- he was lost- and in the middle he ‘found himself’.
Your thinking- geez- I’m sure the
crowd has no idea he really is this gone.
Then it hit me- am I nuts too?
Yes- I realize as you get sober-
I’m sober now for 3 months- and after 25 years of constant drinking- you do
indeed go thru withdrawals.
So- people have kinda hinted that
I’m a little nuts- but in a nice way.
And it rattles me some- I see
them looking at me- like I too have looked at some of my friends who are a
little on the edge [or your good buddy texts you ‘are you ok’?]
[Note- remember the movie
Charley? I was gonna watch it last night but couldn’t find it].
And that’s what I saw in the
Dylan book- he did not know he was losing it.
After one performance he says he
wanted to go on tour- solo- right away.
But his promoter wanted him to
take 2 years off.
Dylan explains how no- he was
ready- he had this ‘new technique’ that he stumbled on.
As you read- you see what a
genius he is- but you can read between the lines- and yeah- his promoter was
being nice.
Like he- and I’m sure the other
groups he was touring with- sort of behind the scenes realized that the guy was
losing it.
Yeah- it’s sad to begin
identifying with this- to see your friends/family kind of dropping hints.
As I read the Crucifixion- you
know at one time in the gospels it says his family thought he was losing his
mind?
It’s in there- go look it up.
In the end- Jesus realized that
it was a bigger hand at work in all this.
He commits the whole thing to
God.
The people are really accusing
him- cursing at him- they stirred up the courts and law to get him.
I mean he’s fighting a losing
battle.
He says ‘father- forgive them-
they don’t know what they are doing’.
As I read this statement this
week- I saw a new angle on it.
It’s not like he was saying ‘they
just don’t realize it’.
He was saying ‘this whole thing
needed to happen- for the benefit of others- for me to do Gods will- the whole
thing had to happen- even the false accusations’.
Yeah- he saw the accusers- the
law- those who were manipulated to do this- he saw the whole thing as Gods
will.
Yeah- Gods will was indeed done.
Amen.
Note- Do me a favor, those who
read/like the posts- re-post them on other sites as well as the site you read
them on. Thanks- John. Don’t forget to scroll down on the timeline [Face- book]
- I have posted lots.
CLOSING TIME
2002
3-18-13
LET THE DEAD BURY THE DEAD
As I continue my transition from
a Texan back to a Yankee- I have been reading the gospel of Luke.
Its funny- but the very things I
have been struggling with- like leaving your family- are the things I come
across next in the reading.
Jesus gives a parable- some man
has this big wedding dinner- and he sends out his servant to get guests.
And he says ‘come on- hurry- all
things are ready’.
There is a sense of urgency about
the thing.
And the guests make one excuse
after another.
‘I can’t come- I just bought some
land’
‘I have married a wife and that
takes precedence’
Jesus then says the master gets
mad when he hears how ungrateful the guests are.
He then sends the servant out and
he gathers the low life’s of society- these accept the invitation [the kingdom
goes to the poor].
Jesus then goes on and says if
you want to follow him- you have to be willing to give up everything- even your
comfort zone- and he does say even your wife and kids- and then follow him.
Now- I want to be real careful
here.
My teaching- the stuff I teach
about Christianity and the bible- I try real hard to base it not just on some
private interpretation of scripture [a mistake among many Protestants].
But I try to ground my teaching
both in scripture and tradition [yeah- sounds Catholic doesn’t it?]
So- I’m very aware of the various
Christian groups who practice a strong ‘anti- family’ mindset.
Some seperate from loved ones
because they leave the group- I don’t hold to that kind of stuff at all.
Okay- now- why mention this verse
then?
Because I stumbled across it as I
was struggling with going north- without my family- leaving them behind.
And then I felt the Lord was
showing me how this very thing is one of the hindrances to the kingdom.
What thing- your wife and kids?
Not really- not in a way you
might think.
But the thing about entrusting
your family to God.
In the excuses that the guests
made- they are all centered around self survival.
One wants to take care of his
land [he actually says he has to go SEE IT- man- didn’t you look at it
already?]
It’s the whole mindset of finding
comfort and security in things- or in our so called ability to control stuff.
In today’s Christian environment-
where you can walk into a Wal Mart and in the best seller section you have
Christian books on how God wants you to have everything now- we have developed
a mindset that hardly ever gives any serious thought to surrendering our lives
over to God.
The excuse’s the guests gave are
centered around self survival- worried about having to ‘have enough’ for the
future.
Sure the bible speaks about a
‘good man leaves an inheritance to his kids’ but the Kingdom ideal of Jesus
seems to blow that out of the water.
I want to make sure you guys
don’t mis-read this.
I’m not saying we should all
leave our wives and kids because of this verse.
But Jesus is saying nothing
should take precedence over our mandate to follow him- to take up our Cross
daily.
And it’s often these very things-
the things we try to control- or try to handle ourselves- it’s these issues
that often hold us back.
One excuse was ‘I need to go home
and bury my father’.
Jesus says ‘let the dead bury the
dead- just come and follow me’.
Note- Do me a favor, those who
read/like the posts- re-post them on other sites as well as the site you read
them on. Thanks- John. Don’t forget to scroll down on the timeline [Facebook] -
I have posted lots.
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