News Weakly - 12/5/20

A Faithful Farewell
The president has said that he will abide by the Electoral College vote and leave office. But before he does, he opted to strip out federal protections of endangered birds in favor of industry. The man and his priorities.

The Cure is Worse
In Japan, more people died from suicide last month than from Covid in all of 2020. Mostly women. Mostly from the stress of Covid. In other words, our concerns about the impact of the Covid response isn't just the economy. Do nothing? No! Can't we consider responses that don't kill more people than what we're responding to?

Guilty By Association
Katy Perry (Left) thought her dad's idea (Right) was a good one. Her "Christian preacher" father was working on a clothing line to bring the two sides of the aisle together as Americans. So she promoted the idea. "Can't we all just get along?" "NO!" social media declares. Apparently if you want to be tolerant of opposing people without embracing their views, you're wrong. And if you have those opposing views, perhaps you're evil, too. Don't be surprised if there is reprisal for "wrong thinking" (read "voting for Trump").

Turning the Page
Yesterday she was Ellen Page. She was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Actress and a Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Leading Role for Juno. She won the Best Breakthrough Performance award from the Alliance of Women Film Journalists. In 2014 she came out as gay. Today she is Elliot Page and her pronouns are "he" and "they." We're all going to ignore the fact that 1) she is a biological female, and 2) everything I mentioned above is a lie (since all of them were predicated on "female" which she says she is not). Of course, they're not going to change the gender of the person she is currently playing, although I don't know why they can't get a female to play a female. And it was astounding how quickly every source appeared to change "Ellen" to "Elliot" at lightspeed. The speed at which history is rewritten here is mind boggling. So, while the world applauds her bravery, I'm wondering, "So, if she is attracted to women and identifies as male, is she a heterosexual now?" We live in an insane world.

The Ultimate Good
Nasdaq is proposing new listing rules. The new rules would be centered on diversity. One rule would require "at least two diverse directors, including one who self-identifies as female and one who self-identifies as either an underrepresented minority or LGBTQ+." Because it's not business if it's not "diverse" ("diverse" in quotes because it is narrowly defined). No one has yet explained how "diversity" (with that particular definition) makes a business more profitable.

Secondhand Smoke
San Francisco, ever the progressive town, is banning smoking inside your own apartment due to concerns about secondhand smoke. Oh, but you can still smoke pot in your own apartment because, hey, everyone knows secondhand smoke from pot is a good thing. "Hey, dude, pass it on."

False
In a move intended to protect people, Facebook (like You Tube before it) banned "false claims" about Covid-19 vaccines. The difficulty, as always it seems, is in the definition of "false claims." Things that are "debunked by public health experts" (because 1) they all agree and 2) they can't be wrong, right?) and "conspiracy theories" (because if you claim conspiracy you must be lying) are "false claims" and if they prove to be actually correct, it won't matter because truth is currently in flux anyway. So, Facebook will save you from false claims by eliminating questions and only allowing you to see the "truth" they approve.

A Joke Too Far? Perhaps the Babylon Bee has gone a little too far. A recent headline reads, "Biden All-Female Communications Team Won't Tell Nation What's Wrong, Nation Should Already Know." "If the reporters fail to understand their highly advanced non-verbal communication," the story says, "they will smile sweetly and walk out of the room before slamming the door as hard as they can." "'This is a huge step for this country,' said Communication Director Kate Bedingfield to reporters. 'We need to move beyond archaic and male-centric methods of communication that use things like clear language and written words.'" The press, they say, is "frantically buying flowers, chocolates, and jewelry" hoping to receive some clue as to what's going on.

Too stereotypical?

Ineffective Communication

I'm trying to get my head wrapped around our new world order. Or, at least, our new use of terms. (Which, by the way, is a presentation of our new world order.) If words are symbols we use to communicate ideas, what ideas are we now communicating?

A news item this week was about actor Laverne Cox encountering a "transphobic attack." We use with ease terms like "homophobic" and "transphobic." Both words have "phobia" as their suffix. "Phobia" is "an intense, persistent, irrational fear of a specific object, activity, situation, or person." We have, apparently, modified that to also include "an aversion toward, dislike of, or disrespect for a thing, idea, person, or group." That is, rooted originally in the concept of "fear," we've expanded it to "aversion, dislike, or disrespect." Well, okay. That, of course, changes a lot of things, but I suppose it only applies as the user sees fit. So "ablutophobia," for instance, means the fear of washing or bathing and not the aversion or disrespect of it, so we won't apply the latter to this word ... because we said so. Just try to keep up.

Both terms are relatively new to the English language. Homophobia was coined by a psychologist in the 1960's. It originally referred to the fear some men had that others might think they were gay. But that's so passe now, isn't it? The word is combination of "homo(sexual)" and "phobia." Transphobia was first used in 1990-1995 and only made it to the dictionary in 2013. It is the combination of "trans(gender)" and "phobia." And both now refer exclusively to "aversion, dislike, or disrespect" without any sense of "fear."

So, now we have aversion or disrespect to people who identify as either homosexual or transsexual, and that's a bad thing. In places, it's a criminal thing. Because "aversion" and "disrespect" are not defined by the one doing it, but the by the one observing it. And how does this aversion or disrespect manifest itself? Well, on one end of the spectrum there are the "gay bashers," people that actively seek out and physically assault people they believe to be homosexual or transsexual. On the other there are those who believe that they are "yucky." Over on this end would be the people who believe that the behavior is a sin. Because believing that X is a sin is the same thing as hating, disrespecting, or disliking someone ... as long as it is defined by the one observing it and not the one believing it. We define this aversion or dislike by "You made me feel bad."

Oddly enough, the free exercise of religion is protected in the Constitution. Why is it, then, that religious freedom is considered homophobic and transphobic while aversion, dislike, or disrespect of people who practice their religion is not "phobic" in the same sense? A genuine Christian can be praying for the well-being of someone practicing homosexual behavior and be classified as a hater for it, while the ones embracing such behavior will be actually hating the Christian. How odd. In fact, the mere exploration of these terms here will get me classified as homophobic or transphobic or both. And no one seems to notice how many terms (e.g., "phobia," "tolerance," "judgmental," "inclusivity," "hate," etc.) we've willingly and freely redefined to get here. It seems patently obvious that our wild and haphazard use of symbols to express ideas is not effective communication.

Who Ya Gonna Call?

No, not Ghostbusters. We're in crisis. Maybe it's Covid or maybe it's cancer. Maybe it's job problems or health problems or money problems or ... the list goes on and on. It's not merely a 2020 pandemic thing; it's forever and always. Difficulties arise and we have to deal with them. Who do you call? Maybe it's big like deadly illness or maybe it's small like "I'm not satisfied with my circumstances," but we all have a range of problems to deal with. Who do you call?

I don't need the answer. You do. Where you go for your rescue, for your comfort, for your satisfaction, for your joy is a clear indication of who you trust. Of course, it's not likely that all of those are the same places, so it is likely that you trust multiple sources for multiple things. Maybe it's your spouse or your friends for emotional support and your job for financial support and your local pub for your entertainment and ... well, you get the idea. Lots of sources for lots of things. Maybe even you. You know, "I rely on my own initiative and good looks" or whatever.

Here's the thing. Human beings are idol factories. We crank them out right and left. We're very industrious idolaters. Starting with ourselves as #1 idol, we can find them or make them just about anywhere for any reason. I think the easiest way to find yours is to ask, "Who ya gonna call?" Where do you look for your support and comfort, your joy, your pleasure? Because God demands that He be that first place item, and if He's not, you've got yourself an idol. And not in a good way.

Feel Better

Have you ever heard someone tell you that? "Feel better." Like it's a choice. Like you'd say, "Oh, well, since you said to, I will. Thanks." Why is it silly? Because we don't choose how we feel. So it seems odd that we are commanded to feel. "Really? Where?" Over and over we are commanded to "love God" and "love your neighbor." That's a command to feel, isn't it? We are commanded to "rejoice evermore." That's a command to feel, isn't it? How is this possible? How can we choose to feel anything?

The question, of course, is wrong from the start because you can't choose to feel. Thus, these things we are commanded like "love" and "rejoice" must not be what our first idea is -- feelings. What, then?

According to Scripture, love is not something we conjure up to feel. Love is a fruit of the Spirit (Gal 5:22) -- the first on the list. Paul describes love in 1 Corinthians 13:4-8 in terms that cannot be understood as mere "warm affection." There is emotional love, to be sure, but the love we are commanded to engage comes from God (1 John 4:7) and is a result of loving God (1 John 5:1). It is unavoidable for the believer (1 John 4:8). Sourced by God's own love, it cannot fail (1 Cor 13:8). That love isn't mere emotion. And it is a choice.

Joy is, interestingly enough, another fruit of the Spirit (Gal 5:22) -- the second on the list. It isn't mere happiness; it's associated with our faith in God (1 Peter 1:8). Joy is our strength (Neh 8:10). It is derived from Christ (John 17:13) and fellow believers add to it (e.g., Php 1:7; 2 Cor 2:3; Php 2:2). It is a response to worship (Psa 33:1; Psa 66:1). Happiness is predicated on the perception of good circumstances; joy is predicated on God -- unwavering, exceeding mere happiness, a gift, inward and sure. When you cultivate your relationship with God, you cultivate joy.

"Feel better" is a non sequitur. It just doesn't follow that we can choose to feel anything. We might change how we think about things and feel differently. In fact, we should. But in those areas we are commanded to do what appears to be emotional, it's clearly sourced by God for God's glory with God's power. Choosing to feel better has very little to do with it.

Missing the Point

An insurance company I won't name has a series of ads about how easy it is to save money with them. One has a woman in the park. "How easy is it to save money with them? Easy as putting your fitness tracker on your dog." And a moment later she assures a young couple jogging by that she already got her 40,000 steps. I know; it's meant to be humor. I got it. But it is a perfect example of missing the point. The point of a fitness tracker is not to get step counts. The point is to get steps -- to exercise. But we often miss the point.

The most glaring example to me of late is church. I think we've been in the world too long and we've bought their lies. So we configure church to gather numbers which, by the way, isn't working. In America Christianity is declining. At least, so says the Pew Research Center. Wait! How can that be? Look at the megachurches. But the numbers don't lie, and it appears that our attempts to build the church aren't working.

How can that be? We've put in the latest gear, cranked up the latest tunes, marketed the church to gather people. "If we did hymns," I've been told, "we'd have no one here." Why? Because people don't connect with hymns. Ah, there it is. We're trying to connect with people on all sorts of levels. And we're just not doing it very well.

We've missed the point.

Worship isn't about music that moves you. Worship is about worship. It is an outward thing -- toward God -- not inward. Preaching isn't about connecting with the congregation; it's about preaching -- forthtelling what God says. It's expounding on the Word, not giving cool quips and clever stories. Church isn't about gathering people; it's about building God's people. It's about one another, not me. The point is not connecting with people; the point is connecting people with the Savior.

So we try this new experiment, taking the reins ourselves. Marketing techniques in hand, we try to build Christ's church. We end up with diminishing numbers, sallow worship, and shallow Christians. The programs aren't working because the hearts aren't changing; just the trappings. We've missed the point.

We need to get back to church. We need to invest ourselves in God's Word, involve ourselves in each others' lives, prime the pump to glorify God above all else. But we're happy with out mediocrity because, after all, we have a catchy Christian tune on our lips and what more could you ask? I could ask a lot more. I guess I'll have to ask the One who will build His church.

Only Jesus

America, largely, has lost it. We've lost our collective minds. Originally this was "the land of opportunity." It was the place of the "American Dream." That dream was that with hard work and determination, "Anyone can come here and make something of themselves." No longer. "'Make something of themselves'? Anyone? Oh, no. Not anyone."

Our dream is vanquished. The notion of capitalism (the basis of that dream) is now classified as largely evil. We are divided into the haves and the have nots. And the have nots largely outnumber the haves. So we want war. We want what we've got coming. We want our share. And we don't want to work for it and we don't want to pay for it and we don't want to put in the time or effort. We want it and we want it now. So we cry out against the 1% and demand that the government take their money and give it to us.

Of course, somehow we've become blind to the facts. We've become blind the reality that our "have nots" have far more than, say, our African have-not brothers. A study in 2019 discovered that the poorest 20% of Americans consume more goods and services than the national averages for all people in most affluent countries. Our "have nots" have more than our affluent European brothers. Oddly enough, I don't see any of our have-nots dedicating their excessive wealth (relatively speaking) to those who have far less. "When they measure themselves by one another and compare themselves with one another, they are without understanding." (2 Cor 10:12) That's us.

Well, who's to blame for all this? When God asked Adam, he answered, "It was that woman You gave me!" (Gen 3:12) We, of course, have modified that. "It's those white people You gave us!" Well, sometimes. Maybe "It's the males You gave us." Currently a growing theme is "It's those Christians you gave us." Whatever the blame du jour is, it is never "Me."

James wrote, "Let no one say when he is tempted, 'I am being tempted by God,' for God cannot be tempted with evil, and He Himself tempts no one. But each person is tempted when he is lured and enticed by his own desire. Then desire when it has conceived gives birth to sin, and sin when it is fully grown brings forth death." (James 1:13-15) We've lost our collective minds. We think that if we can get someone to give us what we want without having to work for it and blame someone else for it not happening yet, we will be happy. Worse, we will be right! Our rights will be satisfied. Without regard, of course, to anyone else. Why? Because it's what we desire and that makes it right and it makes it our right. No amount of "better government" or "better political views" or "better laws" or "eliminate those who are the problem" will solve this. Only Jesus.

Calibrated

In technical fields there is a necessary function called "calibration." For various measurement devices you need to be sure that they are measuring correctly, whether it is time or distance or weight or whatever. So, for instance, the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) has an atomic clock on hand that gives to the microsecond (or better) the current time. They are the standard of "correct" that all clocks in the U.S. must compare themselves to be "correct." That's the idea. You have to have a known good with which to compare things to see if they're good or to be able to adjust them to "good."

For me, the "known good" in life is God. He is always right and never wrong. Thus, when He provides a written structure with which to compare truth claims, coming from God it must be good, right -- calibrated. It would be that atomic clock against which we compare other clocks.

Of course, that's not how the Bible is generally viewed today. Even among self-professed believers. Among so-called Christians, there is a range of perceptions, beginning with generally disregarding it all the way to the other side in which the Bible itself is worshiped. The most liberal of Christians consider it a book of myths, some interesting stories, some helpful ideas, perhaps, but not "God's Word" by any stretch of the imagination. The King James Only cult considers the KJV the only God-inspired Bible. "If it was good enough for John the Baptist, it's good enough for me."

The traditional view is that the Bible is God's breathed Word. Since God is infallible, His Word must be, too. Our job, then, is not to come up with the truth, but to see what it is in the pages of His Word. Instead, we have self-professed Christians declaring, "[Biblical] inerrancy and infallibility are orthodoxies of white-supremacist thought." (Rev. Dr. Angela N. Parker) What then? Well, we have to compare Scripture against something else to "calibrate" it -- to see if it's correct. What would that be? We have a host of things. There is "my own logic." There is "my own set of values." There is culture, custom, current thought. There is science and public opinion. There is modern ethics, modern psychology, modern philosophy. Lots of places we can turn.

Here's the problem. When you compare something against unknowns, you end up with an unknown. If you don't have a "good," a "correct" -- something absolute and certain -- then you can't arrive at a reasonable conclusion about the thing you are comparing against it. That is, where Scripture and your standard -- your logic, your science, your opinion, your preference, your ethics, whatever -- don't agree, which one is right? You can't say. And that's because your "standard" is not a standard. If you don't start with a known good, you can't conclude anything about the nature of the thing you're comparing with it. Is it any wonder, then, that there is such discrepancy between the Word and the world? If our calibration tool is "me," whatever that happens to be in any given case, then we will arrive at roughly the same number of errors as there are people.

Brothers and sisters, these things ought not be. If we start with a good and right God and accept the claim that He breathed the Bible (2 Tim 3:16-17), then our go-to position would need to be, "What does it say and what does it mean?" followed by "I will go with that." Not the current, "I reject that, so what else can I make of it?" The problem, you see, is not that we come to different conclusions about what it means. The problem in the vast majority of cases is that we start with a different premise. On one hand it is, "I'm right and anything that disagrees with me is wrong." On the other it is, "Scripture is right and whatever it says is right, so I'll need to align myself with that, whatever that is." Otherwise you'll find that in much of life your truth is not calibrated.

News Weakly - 11/28/20

It's Not a Conspiracy
For months some have been saying, "You watch. If Biden gets elected, the Covid vaccine will be ready almost immediately." Well, of course, we normal folks all said, "Are you paying attention? Fauci says April of 2021 maybe." Of course, NPR is reporting that Americans could see a vaccine by mid-December. It's not a conspiracy! It's not a conspiracy! Let's keep telling ourselves that.

Another Trump Death
The politicians and the media assured us that the 200,000+ deaths in the U.S. from Covid were all Trump's fault. Now we have another. A 55-year-old man was pulled from the water in Western Australia after being attacked by a shark. He died from his injuries. Australia has seen the highest fatalities from shark attacks since 1929. Clearly Trump's fault.

No Change
In September, 2019, our national debt was almost $23 trillion. In September, 2020, it was almost $27 trillion. What happened? Well, of course, Covid. Or, more precisely, our national debt increased by $1 trillion from normal debt growth and $3 trillion from Covid relief. Now, Trump hasn't let Congress pull out another $3 trillion for a second investment (although he would have allowed $2 trillion), but the good news is that Biden will back Pelosi on the next multi-trillion-dollar coronavirus relief bill. There was outcry over excessive government debt, so the plan is to double down on it. So, no, expect no change ... in your pockets or your coin jar. It will all be gone because we know where the government will get it from. And, look, with nothing left in your pockets, why not just switch over to socialism? That ought to work better anyway, right?

What Could Go Wrong?
So Seattle has seen the light. They raised the city's minimum wage for the lowest paid workers to $15/hr and cut safety of their citizens by cutting police funding by 18%. What could go wrong? (Considered the higher cost and lower police presence, I would recommend avoiding Seattle for some time ... you know, just to be safe.)

Proof of Climate Change
Take that you anti-climate-change naysayers. Australia is bracing for a major heat wave in November, perhaps getting to 104°F. Proof of climate change. Of course, Australia is in the southern hemisphere which means Australia is beginning their summer, but, still, climates change, see?

Mostly Peaceful
All around the country protesters vandalized or destroyed statues and damaged and vandalized buildings in the name of the Native American LANDBACK campaign to ask peacefully for their land back. Because clearly the best way to get what you want is by being "mostly peaceful" -- or not.

Finally ...
I hope you had a good Thanksgiving.

In an effort to supplant God for the next Thanksgiving, Democrats are hoping to bring you Medicare for all, more masks, more national debt (~ $2 trillion) for climate change, more gun control, and more immigration. So in the next few years we can gather at Thanksgiving to thank the Democrats for our new utopian overlords.

In the meantime, Democrats warn against excessive thankfulness, concerned that it could lead to conservatism. And Oregon's governor emptied the prisons of now-legal drug offenders in order to make room for Thanksgiving gathering violators. Must be true; I read it on the Internet.

Not So Amazing

"Amazing grace, how sweet the sound," the song says, and even unbelievers know the song. What's sad, however, is the numbers who haven't a clue about how amazing grace is -- unbelievers and believers.

You see, we often give God's grace lipservice, but then manage to minimize it to near meaninglessness. We agree that we're saved by grace and then sing about how God thought I was worthy of being saved. God's grace is magnificent because we don't deserve His favor, but we'll minimize our sin and maximize our value to God until, frankly, He likely would have been a fool to miss out on saving us. We are not particularly stunned that He saved us and complain that He doesn't save more.

Paul saw it differently (Rom 9:22-24). He understood the human race as "vessels of wrath prepared for destruction" and God as a God whose will was to demonstrate His power and wrath. The hammer is ready to fall, and all of justice would demand that it happen. But God, in His amazing grace, withheld that complete judgment and showed mercy to "vessels of mercy" that He prepared. He did it all. Paul's question isn't, "Why wouldn't God save me?" or "Why doesn't God save more?", but "Why does God save one?"

We sing about amazing grace, but we diminish it in our minds. We deserve it. We're not that bad. He is lucky to have us. In fact, any good and wise God would know that. Not so amazing grace at that point. Thus Paul's, "By the grace given to me I say to everyone among you not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think, but to think with sober judgment, each according to the measure of faith that God has assigned." (Rom 12:3) A right picture of a just God and the true nature of humans will bring into clear focus how utterly amazing God's grace truly is.

Thanksgiving, 2020

It's Thanksgiving Day in the United States -- a day, oddly enough (in a non-Christian nation), set aside to give thanks. It's odd because we deny God on the surface, but no one thinks of "Thanksgiving Day" as a day to give thanks to neighbors or family or whatever other earthly options we have. It's a day to give big thanks ... which is only reasonable if there is a Big Giver.

It's okay, though. Most Americans exult in Thanksgiving not because they seek to thank God, but because they like family and turkey. Oh, and you can drop the "family" part this year because it's outlawed in a lot of places due to the pandemic. So we love turkey. Oh, and a day off. Because, you see, at the core of our being we have an underlying problem -- we don't give thanks (Rom 1:21). Thanks is vital (1 Thess 5:18), but we tend not to be very good at it.

I think that we here in America have a particular problem with it. With our affluence and our sense of entitlement, it's hard to be grateful. It's hard to be grateful when your boss pays you what he (or she) owes you. "What 'grateful'? I had it coming." Unfortunately we've acquired a case of enlarged entitlement and we are owed everything. Like the kid who asks and receives every Christmas, we lose track of the fact that God's many gifts to us are gifts, not payment due. And, of course, we seem completely unable to give thanks for things we don't particularly like because, apparently, God is doing bad things (like allowing the wrong guy to get elected or letting a pandemic mess up our Thanksgiving or ...). "Grateful for that stuff? No way!"

If giving thanks in everything is the will of God for us (1 Thess 5:18), it is my prayer, "Dear Lord, for whatever we are about to receive make us truly grateful. Truly. Amen."

Reconsider

According to the UN, "The repercussions of the pandemic are causing more harm to children than the disease itself." Lockdowns and school closures are killing more than 10,000 additional children every month. And not just children. another study estimates that tens of thousands of adults are dying by avoiding treatment because of fear of Covid in hospitals. Experts warn that there will be 1.4 million deaths from untreated TB infections alone. Hundreds of millions are dying from starvation because of the reaction to Covid. The UN is saying somewhere around 150 million will die this year from the response to Covid rather than the pandemic itself. Comparing that with the 1.4 million who have died from the pandemic itself, there seems to be a problem in our approach, and it's not merely economic.

What What You Say Says About You

I had to do that title. It just rolls trippingly off the tongue, right? Well, no, but speaking about the tongue ...

... James 3:1-12 is a section about the tongue. (Nice segue, eh?) And if you take a look, it is a bit disturbing. James says, "We all stumble in many ways. And if anyone does not stumble in what he says, he is a perfect man, able also to bridle his whole body." (James 3:2) Note first, then, that James is not saying, "I've got this. Look at me." He includes himself in "We all stumble in many ways." So the topic: Stumbling in what you say. He goes on to paint word pictures of the smallness of the tongue and the magnitude of its effects. The tongue, he says, is "a world of unrighteousness," "staining the whole body," and is "set on fire by hell." (James 3:6) "No human being can tame the tongue," he says (James 3:8). And the result is irrationality. "With it we bless our Lord and Father, and with it we curse people who are made in the likeness of God. From the same mouth come blessing and cursing. My brothers, these things ought not to be so." (James 3:9-10)

Jesus said something similar.

"It is not what goes into the mouth that defiles a person, but what comes out of the mouth; this defiles a person ... What comes out of the mouth proceeds from the heart, and this defiles a person." (Matt 15:11, 18)

James suggested that taming the tongue required taming the entire self. Jesus said that what comes out of our mouths reflects what is in our hearts. Same thing. Therefore, what we say can tell us about who we are inside. So Jesus warned, "Out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks. The good person out of his good treasure brings forth good, and the evil person out of his evil treasure brings forth evil. I tell you, on the day of judgment people will give account for every careless word they speak, for by your words you will be justified, and by your words you will be condemned." (Matt 12:34-37)

As it turns out, then, it's not merely a clever title. What you say says a lot about you. From truth claims to casual conversation ("every careless word"), we are accountable for our words because they reflect our hearts. What do your words say about your heart?

Why I am an Adeist

There are gnostics -- people who know special things -- and agnostics -- people who don't know. There are theists -- people who believe in God -- and there are atheists -- people who believe in no God. Clearly in these things that "a" is important -- it is a negative. So if there are deists -- people who believe there is a God, but He's a "hands-off" God -- and there must be adeists -- people who don't believe in a "hands-off" God.

We Christians can be a funny lot. We can stand boldly for God -- "We're theists; we believe in God" -- and we can be practical atheists at the same time -- "Sure, I believe in God, but at this moment I'm not too concerned about what He thinks." We can be theists at one moment and deists at another. In fact, I have to say it seems like a sizable number of genuine believers are practical deists. They believe, but they approach life as if God is not directly involved.

For years I've heard Christians bemoaning the state of the church. "If things keep up," they'll say, "there may not be a church anymore." Or this Covid thing. Dire predictions from Christians about outcomes. I recently read where there are fears that the new Covid vaccine might alter your psyche. Lots of stuff like this. And in a natural world, very scary. Can you lose your salvation? Maybe. What will happen if Trump loses the election (as he appears to have already done)? Terrible things! Except ... it has to come from a deist perspective. None of these fears take into account a God who is there. All of them assume a hands-off God. Every aspect of life is affected by a God who is there and, in that, peace that surpasses understanding is available.

That's why I'm an adeist. I don't believe that God is hands-off. I don't rely on a God whose hands are tied either by His creation or Himself. I'm a theist and believe that nothing even exists without His present attention. Not an agnostic. I know it. Not an atheist. I'm sure there is a God. Not a deist. I know He's here, involved, working, guiding, protecting. But you go ahead with your fears and concerns. My mother told me not to believe it when they tell you worry doesn't help anything. Look, 99% of what you worry about doesn't happen. See? It works fine.

My Great Reset

Time magazine dedicated an issue to The Great Reset. Some, including the ever-dependable, thoroughly unbiased New York Times, are calling it a wild and baseless conspiracy theory. Time, apparently, thinks it's a good idea. It comes from the World Economic Forum and, ostensibly, hopes to take over the world -- a one-world government. Say goodbye to capitalism, democracy, private property, freedom. The Covid-19 vaccine will be forced on us all because it will encourage submission. Then we'll all be chipped and tracked and ... well, you get the idea. Canada is on board. New Zealand is working its way toward it. Even MSN is reporting on it.

I have talked to people recently who have seen it, who have worked on it, who are so convinced that they're preparing for it. It really is the end of the world as we know it. Or so it goes.

So I ask myself, "What's a guy to do?" Without digging into "Is this just a crazy conspiracy like one side says or is it actually true like the other claims?", I wonder, because of the magnitude of it, what is expected of me if all of it is true? If such a thing is coming, what then?

Well, there are all sorts of possibilities. I know people planning to hide. I know people planning to fight. I don't think I have either of them in me. And since I'm one of those foolish fellows that intends to take my cues from God's Word, what do I find there? I find things like,

Why should the nations say, "Where, now, is their God?" But our God is in the heavens; He does whatever He pleases. (Psa 115:2-3)

God "works all things after the counsel of His will." (Eph 1:11)

For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor any other created thing, will be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord. (Rom 8:38-39)

I urge that entreaties and prayers, petitions and thanksgivings, be made on behalf of all men, for kings and all who are in authority, so that we may lead a tranquil and quiet life in all godliness and dignity. (1 Tim 2:1-2)

Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all comprehension, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. (Php 4:6-7)

Different people of God have different callings from God, so maybe some are called to flee and some are called to fight. Maybe I'll be called to flee or fight or something else. But I discard the first response -- abject terror -- and rely on the God who saves. I claim that peace that surpasses all comprehension, whether or not the conspiracy is real, because I serve a living God, and He does as He pleases. That is a great reset in a world terrorized by Covid, politics, wars, and rumors of wars.

News Weakly - 11/21/20

Like We Didn't Know?
The race was called already, but the results are still coming in. Georgia's Secretary of State is certifying Joe Biden as winner. In the category of "bad loser," Trump continues to lock out Biden from getting any necessary information to move forward. Did you expect anything better from him? And in the "bad winner" category, the media keeps touting this feat. In 2012 Barack Obama got 65,915,795 votes in his successful bid for president. Joe Biden broke that record with more than 70 million. What no one is reporting is that President Trump also broke that record with more than 70 million votes. The last time I checked, it was 79 million to 74 million. But, hey, your guy won, so go ahead and beat this horse to death. It is a record, but it is not a landslide like the media is trying to make it.

Because ... Science
Once again there is a run on toilet paper as COVID numbers rise again. Because, as we all know, the best masks are the ones made out of TP. No, that can't be it. Because TP makes you immune? Nope, that isn't it, either. Because ... Science! Nope, not that, either. Because people are sheep and will pursue whatever the others do with or without reason or evidence. Science remains a puny god. The scientists and the media keep saying, "Facts, not Fear" while they continue to provide us with terrifying claims and terrifying consequences. Their mantra is a false dichotomy and they're really good at being terrorists without admitting it.

Sure, It's Hopeless, But I Feel A Lot Better
The latest model says it's too late. We're past the tipping point. We cannot recover from global climate change anymore without simply removing humans entirely. (Okay, I added that last part.) And, still, Canada plans to be "net-zero emissions" by 2050. Of course, "net-zero" is not zero and simply shifts the cause to another source to make people feel better.

Make Me Laugh
I was just wondering. Is that run on toilet paper because of a fear of COVID or a fear of the next administration? I can't tell.

In the meantime, Democrats are pushing to keep nonessential things like schools closed so that the kids will be dumb enough to swallow socialism.

And was it just me, or did that CDC scientist that announced that we must cancel Thanksgiving look suspiciously like a turkey in a lab coat?

Must be true; I read it on the Internet.

Retreat

I'm out for the day. I'll be back tomorrow. Enjoy the quiet in my absence.

What Does That Mean?

"It is entirely possible," my friend was saying, "that a true believer could continue sinning until he (or she) became so hardened that he (or she) could lose their salvation." I asked for Scripture. "Well, there are lots, but the first one that comes to mind is 'When lust has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and when sin is accomplished, it brings forth death.' Now, the unsaved are already dead, so that has to be talking about the saved." "Can you tell me how you understand 1 John 3:9 in that light?" I asked.

No one born of God makes a practice of sinning, for God's seed abides in him; and he cannot keep on sinning, because he has been born of God. (1 Jn 3:9)

You understand the question. What does that mean? Let's assume for the moment that it doesn't mean what it says at face value (because what it says is that no one who is born of God can keep on sinning -- they lack the ability), what else can it mean that allows for a genuine believer sinning oneself to eternal death? You see, we can't rip out these pages; we have to connect them.

"Not everything that happens in the world is God's will," another friend firmly declared. "God doesn't will bad things to happen." There ensued a brief conversation on the definition of "God's will," which led me to ask, "How does your definition of God's will fit in with Eph 1:11?"

In Him we have obtained an inheritance, having been predestined according to the purpose of Him who works all things according to the counsel of His will. (Eph 1:11)

You understand the question. What does that mean? Let's assume for the moment that it doesn't mean what it says at face value (because what it says is that God works all things according to the counsel of His will), what else can it mean that allows things to happen outside of God's will? We can't delete some texts to embrace others. We have to find how they correlate, not contradict.

This is a constant effort, an ongoing process. You and I will continually find things in our thinking, our feelings, even our theology that, as it turns out, contradicts something in Scripture. We have options. We can ignore Scripture or we can try to change what Scriptrue actually means to align with us or we can examine God's Word diligently to see how He is always right when we are not. So we are always asking, "What does that mean?"

The Media Propaganda Machine

It's all over the Internet ... again. In October Relevant reported that "61% of Evangelicals plan to vote for Trump." After the election The Guardian reported that 75% of white Evangelicals voted for Trump. And Politico reported that Trump only got 76 to 78% of the white, born-again, Christian vote.

Except ... it's just not true. It's interesting how the media is using this to paint "white Evangelicals" in a negative light rather than a truthful representation of the facts.

In truth, barely 60% of Evangelicals were registered to vote. According to estimates, white Evangelicals make up 25% of the nation. That is, 25% (or so) of Americans identify as Evangelicals. Subtract the non-whites. Subtract the non-voters. What are you left with? Well, if 1 in 4 claim to be Evangelicals and 1 in 3 of them didn't vote, you're quickly losing ground. Put another way, if 75% of those who claim to be Evangelicals and are white constitute only 60% of white Evangelicals, then only 45% of self-identified white Evangelicals voted for Trump this election. Now, subtract the "actual" Evangelicals from the "self-identified" and you're going to end up with a smaller number.

As it turns out, then, the under-story is clear. it's not about how many white Evangelicals voted for Trump. The point of the constant chatter is that whites in general (Why didn't they report the number of minority Evangelicals?) are evil and Evangelicals in particular are particularly evil. They're dangerous. They support the wrong side. They're not your friend. Don't you forget it. We'll have to do something about that someday. Maybe not yet, but ...

Target Practice

All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God. (Rom 3:23)

In the New Testament there is a word, paraptōma, translated "transgression" or "trespass." Literally, it is a "side slip." But the word we're most familiar with is "sin" -- hamartanō. That one means "to miss the mark." Sin, then, is to "miss the mark." Now, the word could be used for a lot of things. If you were shooting a bow and missed your target, you "sinned" in those terms. The question then becomes, "What mark?"

We understand the mark to be the law -- the rules. We were supposed to do this and we did that or, at least, not this. But "miss the mark" can make that appear fairly minor, like missing your target in a shooting competition. Sure, it's not good, but it's not horrible. This text we all know above answers that critical question, "What mark?" It says, "All have missed the mark." What mark? "The glory of God."

Frankly, that changes things. Now we're not talking about a faux pas, a misstep, a goof. Why? Because the mark we're supposed to hit is "whatever you do, do all to the glory of God." (1 Cor 10:31) Jesus's primary success in His sinlessness was doing all for the glory of His Father (John 1:14; 7:18; 17:5, 22). Jesus said that the primary purpose of our good works was that "they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven." (Matt 5:16) (Note: if the purpose of good works is to glorify God, you can see immediately why Scripture says, "There is none who does good; no, not one." (Rom 3:12) Doing "good things" to the glory of God is not in the natural human being.)

Thus, the problem. We were made to glorify God. It is our primary purpose. It is what we're supposed to do. It is our first-and-foremost target. And we miss it. We miss our primary purpose. We fail to glorify God ... even when we do good. Suddenly this is much bigger than missing the bullseye in an archery contest. And the fact that many of us don't know that's supposed to be the target we're trying to hit only makes it worse.

Passing the Blame

It's hard to argue that COVID is not a thing. It's not really possible to show that COVID is not causing problems. It takes a conspiracy theory extremist to go there. On the other hand, I am quite certain that there are unintended consequences in this COVID response that are potentially devastating, and the COVID pandemic is masking them.

Not least of these is the unmasking (pun intended) of an underlying theme in America. When restrictions went into place, "nonessentials" were shut down. Included in the nonessentials were social gatherings. We could do without those for awhile. Included in those things that weren't absolutely necessary was human touch. Avoid that at all costs. Included in the things that were nonessential was church. Specifically, church attendance. These kinds of things, however, are not nonessential and I think we're paying a price we didn't anticipate. We are normalizing these kinds of things.

Most disturbing to me, however, was that last item. Christians nodded and said, "Yep, gathering as believers is nonessential, at least for the moment. We'll certainly comply." The reason it disturbs me is that it tells me that Christians don't seem to get "church." If anyone should, it should be Christians because it's our thing. As time has gone by, a relatively few have pushed back, but more have totally succumbed. "You know," they're saying, "this remote church thing is just fine. We can get the music and the preaching and stay comfy at home." And we've missed it entirely. Christians -- not all, but many -- consider the gathering for fellowship as nonessential. "An approximation is just fine."

It is, I believe, this kind of thing that has been largely responsible for bringing America to her moral knees. Oh, no, not directly. That would be Satan's work. But in the past Christians have stood strong. When Christians form a biblical gathering with biblical teaching and biblical fellowship and the underlying, foundational love that Jesus said marks His disciples, there is an impact on those around. As we've receding into the background and given up those strong positions, the limiting forces have been removed in our society. Yes, the forces of evil are to blame and human sin is the problem, but I think we Christians, failing to make disciples and love one another and be a living temple, have contributed by our blind withdrawal. We are not guiltless in the current American moral climate when we can't hold to the beliefs and actions a biblical worldview calls for.