This song by Toby Keith really speaks volumes about where I'm at in my life. Thought I'd like to share....
Sometimes I think that war is necessary.
Every night I pray for peace on Earth.
I hand out my dollars to the homeless.
But believe that every able soul should work.
My father gave me my shotgun
that I'll hand down to my son,
try to teach him everything it means.
I'm a man of my convictions.
Call me wrong, call me right.
But I bring my better angels to every fight.
You may not likewhere I'm going,
but you sure know where I stand.
Hate me if you want to, love me if you can.
I stand by my right to speak freely.
But I worry 'bout what kids learn from TV.
And before all of debatin' turns to angry words and hate,
sometimes we should just agree to disagree.
And I believe that Jesus
looks down here and sees us,
and if you ask him he would say
I'm a man of my convictions.
Call me wrong, call me right.
But I bring my better angels to every fight.
You may not like where I'm going,
but you sure know where I stand.
Hate me if you want to, love me if you can. (Repeat)
Tuesday, February 26, 2008
Wednesday, February 20, 2008
Quotes from Jose Marti
"Talent is a gift that brings with it an obligation to serve the world, and not ourselves, for it is not of our making. To use for our exclusive benefit what is not ours is theft. Culture, which makes talent shine, is not completely ours either, nor can we place it solely at our disposal. Rather, it belongs mainly to our country, which gave it to us, and to humanity, from which we receive it as a birthright. A selfish man is a thief."
"It is the duty of man to raise up man. One is guilty of all abjection that one does not help to relieve. Only those who spread treachery, fire, and death out of hatred for the prosperity of others are undeserving of pity."
"A genuine man goes to the roots. To be a radical is no more than that: to go to the roots. He who does not see things in their depth should not call himself a radical."
"It is a sin not to do what one is capable of doing."
"Men of action, above all those whose actions are guided by love, live forever. Other famous men, those of much talk and few deeds, soon evaporate. Action is the dignity of greatness."
"Liberty is the right of every man to be honest, to think and to speak without hypocrisy."
"Socialist ideology, like so many others, has two main dangers. One stems from confused and incomplete readings of foreign texts, and the other from the arrogance and hidden rage of those who, in order to climb up in the world, pretend to be frantic defenders of the helpless so as to have shoulders on which to stand."
"People are made of hate and of love, and more of hate than love. But love, like the sun that it is, sets afire and melts everything."
"It is my duty to prevent, through the independence of Cuba, the U.S.A. from spreading over the West Indies and falling with added weight upon other lands of Our America. All I have done up to now and shall do hereafter is to that end. . . . I know the Monster, because I have lived in its lair—and my weapon is only the slingshot of David."
"A grain of poetry suffices to season a century."
"He who uses the office he owes to the voters wrongfully and against them is a thief."
"It is terrible to speak of you, Liberty, for one who lives without you."
"Love is the bond between men, the way to teach and the center of the world."
"Men are like the stars; some generate their own light while others reflect the brilliance they receive."
"Others go to bed with their mistresses; I with my ideas."
and my favorite...
"I'd rather die standing than live on my knees."
"It is the duty of man to raise up man. One is guilty of all abjection that one does not help to relieve. Only those who spread treachery, fire, and death out of hatred for the prosperity of others are undeserving of pity."
"A genuine man goes to the roots. To be a radical is no more than that: to go to the roots. He who does not see things in their depth should not call himself a radical."
"It is a sin not to do what one is capable of doing."
"Men of action, above all those whose actions are guided by love, live forever. Other famous men, those of much talk and few deeds, soon evaporate. Action is the dignity of greatness."
"Liberty is the right of every man to be honest, to think and to speak without hypocrisy."
"Socialist ideology, like so many others, has two main dangers. One stems from confused and incomplete readings of foreign texts, and the other from the arrogance and hidden rage of those who, in order to climb up in the world, pretend to be frantic defenders of the helpless so as to have shoulders on which to stand."
"People are made of hate and of love, and more of hate than love. But love, like the sun that it is, sets afire and melts everything."
"It is my duty to prevent, through the independence of Cuba, the U.S.A. from spreading over the West Indies and falling with added weight upon other lands of Our America. All I have done up to now and shall do hereafter is to that end. . . . I know the Monster, because I have lived in its lair—and my weapon is only the slingshot of David."
"A grain of poetry suffices to season a century."
"He who uses the office he owes to the voters wrongfully and against them is a thief."
"It is terrible to speak of you, Liberty, for one who lives without you."
"Love is the bond between men, the way to teach and the center of the world."
"Men are like the stars; some generate their own light while others reflect the brilliance they receive."
"Others go to bed with their mistresses; I with my ideas."
and my favorite...
"I'd rather die standing than live on my knees."
Due to Popular demand
The Gift of Gab has arrived!
Sad attempts at humor will come shortly...
Along with my usual cluttered thoughts on politics, religion, etc.
Sad attempts at humor will come shortly...
Along with my usual cluttered thoughts on politics, religion, etc.
Wednesday, February 13, 2008
A Response to Atheism
From Blogger Andrew Sullivan in response to ardent atheist Sam Harris who claimed that religion is dangerous and should be abandoned by all of humanity for its greater good...
Why would I want to forget all of that precious inheritance - the humility of Mary, the foolishness of Peter, the genius of Paul, the candor of Augustine, the genius of Francis, the glory of Chartres cathedral, the haunting music of Tallis, the art of Michelangelo, the ecstasies of Teresa, the rigor of Ignatius, the whole astonishing, ravishing panoply of ancient Christianity that suddenly arrived at my door, in a banal little town in an ordinary family in the grim nights of the 1970s in England?
You want to be contingency-free? Maybe you need a richer slice of contingency. There is more wisdom, depth, range, glory, nuance and truth in my tradition than can be dreamt of in your rationalism. In answer to your question, "why not leave all this behind?" my answer is simply: why on earth would I? Why would any sane person abandon such an astonishingly rich inheritance that civilizes, informs, educates, inspires and then also saves? If faith were to desert me, I may be forced to leave. But even then, the wealth of that human inheritance would inform me and make my life worth living. I would cling to and celebrate this cultural inheritance, even if the faith that made it possible has waned for me.
Why would a human being not look at the unclean glass he is born with and ask: what is this that I have been given? Who passed this down to me? Why? Who died to give this to me? Who suffered? Who spent their lives transcribing texts to keep the memory of this man alive? Who built these churches and composed these chants and wrote these books for me to engage long after they have all disappeared from the earth? How does this amazing cultural, intellectual, spiritual inheritance connect with that inchoate sense of the divine that still permeates my soul? Could it be that what I sense in my soul is what Augustine sensed? What Dominic sensed? What John actually saw and loved and rested his head against?
I know this may sound alien to you. So let me put this in a context that might appeal to you, as a rational, empirical person. How do you explain Christianity's enduring power? Is it all a terrible, ugly blight on the human mind that must be thrown out in favor of "truly honest, fearless inquiry"? But wouldn't "truly honest, fearless inquiry" into religious faith begin by asking how Christianity came to exist at all?
Consider the evidence. I do not believe in a flying spaghetti monster. I believe in Jesus of Nazareth as God Incarnate. We have no evidence of a flying spaghetti monster. But we have solid evidence of Jesus' existence. We have a handful of independent historical artifacts that attest that a minor Jewish rabbi in first century Israel was executed by the Roman authorities. We have many Gospels that date from the period after his death testifying to the power of his message. Purported messiahs and crucifixions were not uncommon at the time. But only one of the thousands of Rome's victims is remembered in this way - and not just remembered but worshiped over two millennia later in the most advanced civilization the world has ever known. Does this not intrigue you? Have you never asked in the spirit of "truly honest, fearless inquiry": How on earth did this happen?
As a simple piece of historical inquiry, it's an astonishingly unlikely turn of events. Within a short period of time, not only was an obscure, failed Jewish rabbi remembered, his teachings became the official religion of the empire that had executed him. In the ensuing centuries, his life and teachings inspired many of the greatest minds, souls and talents humankind has ever produced. The collapse of the empire that elevated him did not lead to the disappearance of Christianity. It led to its eventual re-emergence as a vibrant, beautiful, rich experience for millions. Only Muhammad and the Buddha rival the story of this man - a fact that leads me to ask questions of both (particularly Buddhism), but which prompts you to condemn and anathematize all religious claims of any kind.
Even today, as I type these words, I look on my desk and see the sign I bring with me everywhere: his cross. When I go to dinner later, a small cross will come with me, in my wallet. In my study at home, a fourteenth century wooden carving of Jesus stares down at me from the wall. He is alive in me and millions of others after all this time, sustaining, nurturing, inspiring not just me but countless more. Even if you do not believe in him in the way I do, surely you must acknowledge that something very special has been going on here, something truly remarkable, something beyond the norm of much else in human history.
I have a rational, empirical explanation for this. It is that those who saw Jesus saw something so astonishing, so utterly unlike anything that had ever occurred before, that they became on fire with this new truth. They saw God. It was a contingent expression of God - how could it not be if humans were to witness it? But it was also an eternal expression, so that today some will still say: I know this Jesus as well as anyone ever knew him. And Jesus grasped this paradox of contingent-eternity that is the core mystery of the Incarnation.
"Blessed are those who have not seen and yet believe."
Why would I want to forget all of that precious inheritance - the humility of Mary, the foolishness of Peter, the genius of Paul, the candor of Augustine, the genius of Francis, the glory of Chartres cathedral, the haunting music of Tallis, the art of Michelangelo, the ecstasies of Teresa, the rigor of Ignatius, the whole astonishing, ravishing panoply of ancient Christianity that suddenly arrived at my door, in a banal little town in an ordinary family in the grim nights of the 1970s in England?
You want to be contingency-free? Maybe you need a richer slice of contingency. There is more wisdom, depth, range, glory, nuance and truth in my tradition than can be dreamt of in your rationalism. In answer to your question, "why not leave all this behind?" my answer is simply: why on earth would I? Why would any sane person abandon such an astonishingly rich inheritance that civilizes, informs, educates, inspires and then also saves? If faith were to desert me, I may be forced to leave. But even then, the wealth of that human inheritance would inform me and make my life worth living. I would cling to and celebrate this cultural inheritance, even if the faith that made it possible has waned for me.
Why would a human being not look at the unclean glass he is born with and ask: what is this that I have been given? Who passed this down to me? Why? Who died to give this to me? Who suffered? Who spent their lives transcribing texts to keep the memory of this man alive? Who built these churches and composed these chants and wrote these books for me to engage long after they have all disappeared from the earth? How does this amazing cultural, intellectual, spiritual inheritance connect with that inchoate sense of the divine that still permeates my soul? Could it be that what I sense in my soul is what Augustine sensed? What Dominic sensed? What John actually saw and loved and rested his head against?
I know this may sound alien to you. So let me put this in a context that might appeal to you, as a rational, empirical person. How do you explain Christianity's enduring power? Is it all a terrible, ugly blight on the human mind that must be thrown out in favor of "truly honest, fearless inquiry"? But wouldn't "truly honest, fearless inquiry" into religious faith begin by asking how Christianity came to exist at all?
Consider the evidence. I do not believe in a flying spaghetti monster. I believe in Jesus of Nazareth as God Incarnate. We have no evidence of a flying spaghetti monster. But we have solid evidence of Jesus' existence. We have a handful of independent historical artifacts that attest that a minor Jewish rabbi in first century Israel was executed by the Roman authorities. We have many Gospels that date from the period after his death testifying to the power of his message. Purported messiahs and crucifixions were not uncommon at the time. But only one of the thousands of Rome's victims is remembered in this way - and not just remembered but worshiped over two millennia later in the most advanced civilization the world has ever known. Does this not intrigue you? Have you never asked in the spirit of "truly honest, fearless inquiry": How on earth did this happen?
As a simple piece of historical inquiry, it's an astonishingly unlikely turn of events. Within a short period of time, not only was an obscure, failed Jewish rabbi remembered, his teachings became the official religion of the empire that had executed him. In the ensuing centuries, his life and teachings inspired many of the greatest minds, souls and talents humankind has ever produced. The collapse of the empire that elevated him did not lead to the disappearance of Christianity. It led to its eventual re-emergence as a vibrant, beautiful, rich experience for millions. Only Muhammad and the Buddha rival the story of this man - a fact that leads me to ask questions of both (particularly Buddhism), but which prompts you to condemn and anathematize all religious claims of any kind.
Even today, as I type these words, I look on my desk and see the sign I bring with me everywhere: his cross. When I go to dinner later, a small cross will come with me, in my wallet. In my study at home, a fourteenth century wooden carving of Jesus stares down at me from the wall. He is alive in me and millions of others after all this time, sustaining, nurturing, inspiring not just me but countless more. Even if you do not believe in him in the way I do, surely you must acknowledge that something very special has been going on here, something truly remarkable, something beyond the norm of much else in human history.
I have a rational, empirical explanation for this. It is that those who saw Jesus saw something so astonishing, so utterly unlike anything that had ever occurred before, that they became on fire with this new truth. They saw God. It was a contingent expression of God - how could it not be if humans were to witness it? But it was also an eternal expression, so that today some will still say: I know this Jesus as well as anyone ever knew him. And Jesus grasped this paradox of contingent-eternity that is the core mystery of the Incarnation.
"Blessed are those who have not seen and yet believe."
Save the whale, but not the baby?
The following is an article taken from the Florida Catholic that was written by Archbishop John Favarola.
My dear friends,
Last month, ABC News reported on some "amazing images of animals in the womb."
The images were obtained using the same ultrasound technology that for nearly two decades has allowed human parents to peek inside the mother's womb and, if they choose, find out the sex of their unborn baby.
Apparently, this ultrasound technology had not been used on animals until National Geographic scientists embarked on this study, which is aimed at helping animals "survive."
Listen to some of the remarks uttered by the reporter based on the observations made by the scientists:
"Amazing images of animals in the womb shed new light on the beginning of life. …
"In the beginning, we are all very much alike; sperm meets egg and the embryo soon develops a heart, eyes, limbs. …
"You can see actual animal behavior in utero, which is really the building block to how those animals survive. …
"An unborn dolphin swims in the womb long before it swims in the sea. A puppy starts to pant before birth. That will be its main way in life of keeping cool. …
"
The pictures are indeed striking, but researchers also say that learning from them will help them help the animals survive."
How sad that similar pictures of human babies sucking their thumbs inside their mother's wombs — pictures that were available 34 years ago — did not convince our Supreme Court that unborn human life was equally entitled to survive, and therefore worthy of legal protection.
In fact, more than a decade ago, when I was on the U.S. bishops' pro-life committee, we tried to show very similar images of babies inside the womb at a congressional hearing. The committee chairman turned us down.
I wonder, if she were in the same position today, would she have refused to show these images of unborn animals in their mothers' wombs? If the hearings concerned the protection of animal life, would these images be deemed too disturbing to behold?
Because they leave no doubt that what is developing inside the womb is an elephant, or a dog or a dolphin. This is animal life at its beginning stages. Similarly, what we find inside a human mother's womb is human life at its beginning stages — not just a blob of cells.
These images of animals in the womb were not obtained by zealot pro-lifers bent on "imposing their religious beliefs" on their fellow Americans. These images — like those of human babies sucking and kicking in the womb — were obtained by scientists.
But facts and science have no place in our debate on abortion. On that issue, we want to do as we please. So people put on a bumper sticker that says "Save the Whales" but not one that says "Save the Babies."
When dogs or cats are found starved and neglected, the outcry is immediate. Hundreds come forward offering to adopt the animals in order to prevent their destruction.
I bet we would hear an outcry if anyone suggested harming the unborn dog, dolphin or elephant pictured in those National Geographic ultrasounds.
But where is the outcry about the more than 1 million babies who are killed each year by abortion in this country alone?
As I always say, there is no logic in this country where abortion is concerned. Our views are completely schizophrenic, and as long as this is so, we will remain deeply divided over this issue.
For no one is as blind as the one who refuses to see.
My dear friends,
Last month, ABC News reported on some "amazing images of animals in the womb."
The images were obtained using the same ultrasound technology that for nearly two decades has allowed human parents to peek inside the mother's womb and, if they choose, find out the sex of their unborn baby.
Apparently, this ultrasound technology had not been used on animals until National Geographic scientists embarked on this study, which is aimed at helping animals "survive."
Listen to some of the remarks uttered by the reporter based on the observations made by the scientists:
"Amazing images of animals in the womb shed new light on the beginning of life. …
"In the beginning, we are all very much alike; sperm meets egg and the embryo soon develops a heart, eyes, limbs. …
"You can see actual animal behavior in utero, which is really the building block to how those animals survive. …
"An unborn dolphin swims in the womb long before it swims in the sea. A puppy starts to pant before birth. That will be its main way in life of keeping cool. …
"
The pictures are indeed striking, but researchers also say that learning from them will help them help the animals survive."
How sad that similar pictures of human babies sucking their thumbs inside their mother's wombs — pictures that were available 34 years ago — did not convince our Supreme Court that unborn human life was equally entitled to survive, and therefore worthy of legal protection.
In fact, more than a decade ago, when I was on the U.S. bishops' pro-life committee, we tried to show very similar images of babies inside the womb at a congressional hearing. The committee chairman turned us down.
I wonder, if she were in the same position today, would she have refused to show these images of unborn animals in their mothers' wombs? If the hearings concerned the protection of animal life, would these images be deemed too disturbing to behold?
Because they leave no doubt that what is developing inside the womb is an elephant, or a dog or a dolphin. This is animal life at its beginning stages. Similarly, what we find inside a human mother's womb is human life at its beginning stages — not just a blob of cells.
These images of animals in the womb were not obtained by zealot pro-lifers bent on "imposing their religious beliefs" on their fellow Americans. These images — like those of human babies sucking and kicking in the womb — were obtained by scientists.
But facts and science have no place in our debate on abortion. On that issue, we want to do as we please. So people put on a bumper sticker that says "Save the Whales" but not one that says "Save the Babies."
When dogs or cats are found starved and neglected, the outcry is immediate. Hundreds come forward offering to adopt the animals in order to prevent their destruction.
I bet we would hear an outcry if anyone suggested harming the unborn dog, dolphin or elephant pictured in those National Geographic ultrasounds.
But where is the outcry about the more than 1 million babies who are killed each year by abortion in this country alone?
As I always say, there is no logic in this country where abortion is concerned. Our views are completely schizophrenic, and as long as this is so, we will remain deeply divided over this issue.
For no one is as blind as the one who refuses to see.
Why We Need Each Other
Why We Need Each Other
by Matt Lott of the band Wavorly
Sometimes I don't want to go to church.Some weeks, it's just hard for me to get up and go. Yeah, laziness is no excuse for missing church, but it has happened. Other times, my reason for not going starts with nagging thoughts about some of the people who've hurt me. Or people I've had bad experiences with at churches. I think about some of the people who don't seem to represent the name of Christ too well. Thinking about those experiences makes me want to stay home.
When I read the IYF article, "The Cure for Loneliness," it hit me that maybe I wasn't really giving the people around me much of a chance. Maybe my attitude was messed up. Maybe I misunderstood the purpose of church.
The article refers to a phrase in the Apostle's Creed that just kept coming back to me: " … the communion of saints." This really stuck out in my mind because it made me realize that the communion of saints includes everyone, including people like me who aren't very saintly at times. And having all those people together is important. Why?
The author quotes John 13:35. It reads, "If you love each other, everyone will know that you are my disciples" (CEV). We have to love and support our brothers and sisters in Christ. It's how we show God's love.
That helped me see that I'm often so concerned with loving the lost and reaching out to the unsaved that I forget my own Christian brothers and sisters. I don't support them as much as I could, I don't commune with these saints, and I even use some of them as excuses not to go to church! It's easy for me to let small hurts stand in the way of loving my brothers and sisters in Christ.
This article reminded me that the love I show my fellow believers will help those who don't believe see that Christ's love is for everyone, no matter what we've done or what we struggle with. I also am reminded that I should be happy to have opportunities to be with other Christians in church. Because by learning to love other believers as they are, I am modeling the love of God.
by Matt Lott of the band Wavorly
Sometimes I don't want to go to church.Some weeks, it's just hard for me to get up and go. Yeah, laziness is no excuse for missing church, but it has happened. Other times, my reason for not going starts with nagging thoughts about some of the people who've hurt me. Or people I've had bad experiences with at churches. I think about some of the people who don't seem to represent the name of Christ too well. Thinking about those experiences makes me want to stay home.
When I read the IYF article, "The Cure for Loneliness," it hit me that maybe I wasn't really giving the people around me much of a chance. Maybe my attitude was messed up. Maybe I misunderstood the purpose of church.
The article refers to a phrase in the Apostle's Creed that just kept coming back to me: " … the communion of saints." This really stuck out in my mind because it made me realize that the communion of saints includes everyone, including people like me who aren't very saintly at times. And having all those people together is important. Why?
The author quotes John 13:35. It reads, "If you love each other, everyone will know that you are my disciples" (CEV). We have to love and support our brothers and sisters in Christ. It's how we show God's love.
That helped me see that I'm often so concerned with loving the lost and reaching out to the unsaved that I forget my own Christian brothers and sisters. I don't support them as much as I could, I don't commune with these saints, and I even use some of them as excuses not to go to church! It's easy for me to let small hurts stand in the way of loving my brothers and sisters in Christ.
This article reminded me that the love I show my fellow believers will help those who don't believe see that Christ's love is for everyone, no matter what we've done or what we struggle with. I also am reminded that I should be happy to have opportunities to be with other Christians in church. Because by learning to love other believers as they are, I am modeling the love of God.
Monday, February 11, 2008
One Body in Christ
Excerpts from Don Cobb’s “One Body in Christ”
“Every church (denomination) is, like every person on the planet, right about some things and wrong about some things. That’s right. I said every denomination is right about some things in their doctrine which pertains to Scripture, and wrong about some things in their doctrine which pertains to Scripture. Man’s intelligence is limited. Our interpretations of Scripture, of which there are many conflicting interpretations, are always a combination of wisdom revealed by the Holy Spirit with a dash (or two, or more) of Man’s Imperfection. Therein lies the problem. It isn’t that the Protestants are right and the Catholics are wrong. It isn’t that the Pentecostals are right and the Methodists are wrong. It isn’t that the Adventists are right and every other Protestant denomination and the Catholic Church is wrong.
It’s that all of us are wrong about some things, and all of us are right about some things. All of us. Every Christian denomination. This is a fact which is true of the entire body of Christ.
Despite the massive efforts to declare that one denomination or another “Isn’t Christian”, the Bible defines clearly what makes us “Christian” in Romans 10:9-10, which includes all believers: “...that if you will confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.” There you have it. Right? Apparently not. Not to some denominations, at least. We have among us, in our own family, brothers and sisters who insist that others who attend a different denominational church service than they are not Christian because of how they worship, because of their understanding (interpretation) of Scripture, because of many things. If these issues, these differences of opinion in how we interpret Scripture resulted in the loss of our salvation, I would be quick to say that probably most, if not all, Christians will ultimately be cast into the Lake of Fire. Fortunately for all of us, how we interpret Scripture has no bearing on our salvation…
What makes you “Christian” is not about whether or not you believe in dancing. It’s not about whether we worship on Saturday or Sunday. It’s not about whether or not you support killing babies before birth. It’s not about whether or not you believe that the healing power of Christ Jesus or in the baptisms in the Holy Spirit are “for today”. And it’s not about whether or not you prayerfully ask Mary to intercede on your behalf. If you confessed with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe He was raised on the third day, you are Christian. What makes you “Christian” today has nothing to do with what version of the Bible or even what other books you read…
The world laughs at us for the way we criticize and condemn each other over doctrinal differences. We’re not exactly the best witnesses for Jesus when we’re spending so much time telling other believers that they aren’t Christian. Are we? No. “Love thy neighbor as thyself”. What part of that don’t we Christians understand? Jesus wasn’t talking solely about Christian neighbors. He was talking about every neighbor, and yet we can’t even put His clear instructions into practice within our own body. It’s a safe bet we (many of us Christians) aren’t doing any better of a job at loving our non-Christian neighbors as ourselves than we are at loving our Christian brothers and sisters...and we’re failing miserably at loving our own family—the body of Christ…”
“Every church (denomination) is, like every person on the planet, right about some things and wrong about some things. That’s right. I said every denomination is right about some things in their doctrine which pertains to Scripture, and wrong about some things in their doctrine which pertains to Scripture. Man’s intelligence is limited. Our interpretations of Scripture, of which there are many conflicting interpretations, are always a combination of wisdom revealed by the Holy Spirit with a dash (or two, or more) of Man’s Imperfection. Therein lies the problem. It isn’t that the Protestants are right and the Catholics are wrong. It isn’t that the Pentecostals are right and the Methodists are wrong. It isn’t that the Adventists are right and every other Protestant denomination and the Catholic Church is wrong.
It’s that all of us are wrong about some things, and all of us are right about some things. All of us. Every Christian denomination. This is a fact which is true of the entire body of Christ.
Despite the massive efforts to declare that one denomination or another “Isn’t Christian”, the Bible defines clearly what makes us “Christian” in Romans 10:9-10, which includes all believers: “...that if you will confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.” There you have it. Right? Apparently not. Not to some denominations, at least. We have among us, in our own family, brothers and sisters who insist that others who attend a different denominational church service than they are not Christian because of how they worship, because of their understanding (interpretation) of Scripture, because of many things. If these issues, these differences of opinion in how we interpret Scripture resulted in the loss of our salvation, I would be quick to say that probably most, if not all, Christians will ultimately be cast into the Lake of Fire. Fortunately for all of us, how we interpret Scripture has no bearing on our salvation…
What makes you “Christian” is not about whether or not you believe in dancing. It’s not about whether we worship on Saturday or Sunday. It’s not about whether or not you support killing babies before birth. It’s not about whether or not you believe that the healing power of Christ Jesus or in the baptisms in the Holy Spirit are “for today”. And it’s not about whether or not you prayerfully ask Mary to intercede on your behalf. If you confessed with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe He was raised on the third day, you are Christian. What makes you “Christian” today has nothing to do with what version of the Bible or even what other books you read…
The world laughs at us for the way we criticize and condemn each other over doctrinal differences. We’re not exactly the best witnesses for Jesus when we’re spending so much time telling other believers that they aren’t Christian. Are we? No. “Love thy neighbor as thyself”. What part of that don’t we Christians understand? Jesus wasn’t talking solely about Christian neighbors. He was talking about every neighbor, and yet we can’t even put His clear instructions into practice within our own body. It’s a safe bet we (many of us Christians) aren’t doing any better of a job at loving our non-Christian neighbors as ourselves than we are at loving our Christian brothers and sisters...and we’re failing miserably at loving our own family—the body of Christ…”
Tuesday, February 5, 2008
Wow!
| Who You Should Vote For |
 Ron Paul: 87% Barack Obama: 33% John McCain: 33% Mike Huckabee: 27% Mitt Romney: 27% Hillary Clinton: 20% Who you agree with on the war in Iraq: Ron Paul Who you agree with on the economy: Mike Huckabee, John McCain and Ron Paul Who you agree with on health care: Mike Huckabee, John McCain, Ron Paul and Mitt Romney Who you agree with on taxes: Ron Paul Who you agree with on abortion: Ron Paul Who you agree with on gay rights: Ron Paul and John McCain |
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