The Great Commission » God versus religion

Do not be afraid because of them! But who is “them”?
Said by both Moses and Jesus

Do not be afraid because of them! That might sound good. But who said it? Who was it said to? Does it apply to us? And who is “them”? Who is it that we shouldn’t be afraid of? Oh yeah – why shouldn’t we be afraid? These are all good questions. Will we ask them? Or will we just run with the statement not to be afraid? Especially if we’re Christian and we know this comes from the Bible!

Do not be afraid because of them! But who is “them”?
Said by both Moses and Jesus More

How did Christianity get to be like this?

A look at ourselves

How did Christianity get to be like this? You ask, Like what? Let me answer, initially, with a hint, rather than a direct answer. Some think one of the worst things to happen to Christianity was when Roman Emperor Constantine converted to Christianity. As history is showing, that’s more significant that most people probably realize. The parallels to what’s going on in the U.S. today are incredible.

Historians now debate whether “the first Christian emperor” was a Christian at all. Some think him an unprincipled power seeker. What religion he had, many argue, was at best a blend of paganism and Christianity for purely political purposes.

How did Christianity get to be like this? More

Does anybody really care? About what?

A look at ourselves

Does anybody really care? Did you ask, “Care about what”? Or did you just answer? If you answered “Yes”, what do you care about? Maybe the top five things? If you answered, “No!”, why don’t you care? On the other hand, if you answered, “I don’t know”, are you still alive?

Take those cute Koalas in the picture. Do you know, they probably don’t care about much of anything? They’re so spaced out on Eucalyptus leaves, that’s about all they care about.

Are we the same way? So spaced out on whatever our favorite escape thing is that we don’t care about anything? Not about ourselves? Not about each other?

Does anybody really care? About what? More

How do I justify Joe Biden and Kamala Harris’ stance on abortion?

Abortion

In light of that, should our hot button item be strictly focused on preventing abortion?

Or should our focus be on spreading the Gospel?

On getting people to understand why abortion is against God’s will, rather than only trying to make it against man’s law?

Shouldn’t we focus on the eternal souls of both the mother and the baby? Helping the mother to navigate a difficult time?

Loving the mother, no matter her choice of whether to go through with the abortion or not? Loving mother and baby if the mother chooses to go through with the birth?

Ultimately, shouldn’t we be more like Christ? We are, after all, Jesus’ representatives here on earth – until He returns. And that is part of what we’re to do per the Great Commission. Judgment is His, not ours. We are to love. Even, and maybe especially, when we don’t want to.

How do I justify Joe Biden and Kamala Harris’ stance on abortion? More

Who’s supposed to do the Great Commission? Christians or the government?

Is this really Christianity?

Every Christian should know what the Great Commission is. And pretty much everyone in the U.S. probably at least heard of separation of church and state. So when someone receives an award for “Selfless and Steadfast Service in the Lord’s Vineyard” I expect them to understand the relationship between the Great Commission and the idea of separation of church and state.

Instead, we read a headline like the one of foxnews.com:

Barr says ‘notion’ of separation of church and state misunderstood because of ‘militant secularists’.

Who’s supposed to do the Great Commission? Christians or the government? More

120,000 more children will die of malnutrition. Who will mourn?

A look at ourselves

120,000 more children will die of malnutrition. Not 120,000 will die. 120,000 additional children will die of severe malnutrition this year, due to the effects of COVID on the food supplies for children around the world. Who will mourn? Someone once said, “Blessed are those who mourn …” But who is mourning when they read the headline: “Rising child malnutrition rates to lead to 120,000 excess deaths during pandemic”? Even more than that, who is doing something about it?

Not “just” donating money, although money is needed and is important. My question is, who is in a position of power that has the ability to do something about the root cause of this? And what are they doing? Even more to the point, my question is for Christians in those positions do do something, and yet do nothing. Where are you? Are you mourning?

120,000 more children will die of malnutrition. Who will mourn? More

You are amazing! Who are you people?

A look at ourselves

You are amazing. What does it take to have someone say that to us? But even then, what does it mean? What does amazing really mean? What kind of amazing do we want to be? And why?

We are those who must withdraw from society in order to survive it. Like you, we have all undergone a drastic change to everything we know. For many of us, secluding ourselves was the only remaining option if we wished to conduct normal lives. The world does not welcome us anymore, so we have made a place where we can belong, here, together. In this place, far from the cares of civilization, we are safe.

You are amazing! Who are you people? More

American beliefs – do all religions lead to the same God?

American Theology is mixed up

Do all religions lead to the same God? When Americans were asked to react to the statement, God accepts the worship of all religions, including Christianity, Judaism, and Islam, more than half agreed, with 46% strongly agreeing. Just based on an approximate 70+% of Americans claiming to be Christian, that number is surprising.

And disappointing. It means, right or wrong, only about two-thirds of American Christians even think they know enough about their claimed religion to have a strong response to the statement.

American beliefs – do all religions lead to the same God? More

The problem when too much freedom means little freedom

The problem of ...

The problem of too much freedom – how to compromise.

Let’s take just two issues and see what happens with compromising when there’s too much freedom. When I say “too much freedom”, I mean when we pretty much start from scratch, which is what’s going on in this Seattle autonomous zone. And probably in most situations like it. Well, except for the reality that we never really start from scratch.

The problem when too much freedom means little freedom More

Is the Great Commission for Everybody, Somebody, Anybody or Nobody?

A look at ourselves

Is the Great Commission for Everybody, Somebody, Anybody or Nobody? When I was working, I used to have a sign in my office that told the story of Everybody, Somebody, Anybody and Nobody. Given all the protests and other things happening surrounding the death of George Floyd at the hands of the Minneapolis police, I couldn’t help but think about it. For a number of reasons.

But one thing that brought it to mind is this headline from msn: Texas Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick: Racism Won’t Stop Until We ‘Accept Jesus Christ’. If you’ve read much oh my stuff, especially over on whichgodsaves.com you know how a feel about mixing government and religion. It’s a bad mix. Really bad. It compromises Christianity, and that’s never a good thing.

Is the Great Commission for Everybody, Somebody, Anybody or Nobody? More