Where There Is No Doctor

— Posted incurrent events, end times — 1 min read

Where There Is No Doctor, a classic self-help book that missionaries have long used in the field, has, through the generosity of its principals, been made available for free download. This move seems to have been spurred by the uprising in Iran, but this book could be a lifesaver for anyone in our uncertain times.

It’s wise to publish a disclaimer with this, so here it goes:

Seek Medical Attention!

The information provided herein does not preclude and is not a replacement for professional healthcare or medical treatment.

Injuries and infections can be life threatening!

If injury or bleeding is severe, if the injured person remains unconscious, or if wounds appear infected, medical assistance should be sought immediately!

Specific diagnoses and therapies can only be provided by a physician or other professional healthcare provider.

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Keeping conscience in the outer court

— Posted inCulture and Society, current events — 9 min read

I love the dualism of the phrase, “having the mystery of the faith in a pure conscience”. It graphically shows that being Christlike allows us to be both spirit-led and rational. With feet firmly planted on the ground, our spirits still can reside in the very throne room of heaven. The mature Christian is a mighty warrior for God, indeed!

Panic on Beacon Hill

— Posted inCulture and Society — 3 min read

In case you haven’t heard, Massachusetts, of all places, is about ready to explode. On the very verge of Congress passing the late Ted Kennedy’s signature issue, national healthcare, his replacement is about to be decided, and things are not looking well for the Democrats.

Scott Brown would be the vote that breaks Senate cloture, meaning the Republicans would be able to stall and probably throw the bill healthcare into disarray and limbo. And today, for the first time, a poll has him running 48/47 over his opponent.

After only one year of Obamaism, the electorate is showing a strong case of buyer’s remorse, witnessed to three months ago by the Democrats dramatically losing the governorships of two states that Obama had carried easily. There is deep concern among the general population that Obama is not strong enough on national defense, and that he has preoccupied himself on dubious and divisive side issues such as healthcare and capping and trading carbon credits to alleviate supposed manmade global warming, when he should have attended to the essential basics that unite us, defense and the economy.

Behind this concern is deep and wide alarm among many that Obama is abruptly trying to plunge this nation into post-American socialism and globalism.

But aside from any disagreement with the issues or overall agenda is the disappointment of many over the fact that Obama has hardly proven to be the noble unifier and healer that he explicitly promised to be. The promised governmental transparency and fair play has not remotely been seen in the pushing through of the healthcare bill. Indeed, there is much testimony that this is perhaps the most highly politicized White House ever, and is permeated by the stench of Chicago backroom politics.

Scott Brown has presence and purpose. He is intelligent and telegenic. He is running a good race and his opponent is not. He has momentum, and his opponent’s history is just beginning to plague her.

It could well turn out that Brown is not the conservative that many assume him to be. He is coy about social issues, and he very wisely is focusing strictly on the meat and potato issues of defense and the economy.

But still, he is immensely better than his opponent, and even with possible reservations, he is a step in the right direction, especially for Massachusetts. And, critically, he would break Obama’s socialist healthcare scheme.

This is happening in the very heart of American liberalism, Massachusetts. I’d say that for those praying for a revival of America, Scott Brown is an answer to prayer.

Hannity interview.

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Brit Hume’s Christianity comment -updated

— Posted inCulture and Society — 3 min read

1/9: politics daily, CT interview links added

You may have heard of the flap regarding Brit Hume advising Tiger Woods to embrace “the Christian faith”. Here’s an update on the initial story.

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k_dCB-XUwoc&feature=player_embedded]

Was Brit proselytizing?

v.intr.
1. To induce someone to convert to one’s own religious faith.
2. To induce someone to join one’s own political party or to espouse one’s doctrine.

He certainly wasn’t pressuring Woods to convert. He was offering sincere, well-meaning advice. And I’m not sure what’s wrong with that. He was asked his opinion and gave what he thought was sound counsel that could save someone’s life, let alone a marriage. And it was advice the overwhelming majority of Americans say they believe in.

I do think Hume’s statement was offensive to many, and that’s because the message of Christ is inherently offensive to our flesh. The implicit message of Christ is that we are not sufficient unto ourselves. That we are morally and spiritually flawed enough to keep us out of God’s holy presence without Christ’s atonement on our behalf.

There is no way to get around the offensive aspect of the message. It has been present from the very beginning, and if it’s not part of our message we’re not being true to the Gospel. But Hume offered his advice sincerely, and after all, he was asked. I think we need to consider very carefully that we are actually pressuring people not to comment from their deepest moral and spiritual convictions. That’s a constraint we certainly do not place on secularists.

Especially considering that maybe 80% or so of the population understand and accept the tenets of Christianity, you have to wonder at a cultural dynamic that allows a few to dictate social mores to the many.

As for the Buddhists who were offended, I can understand that. I think what’s needed is a public discussion of faith. Let all the faiths offer what they can, and let the best faith win. It’s time we took faith out of the penalty box and allowed it back into the game.

But the West is on a suicide course that disallows our mentioning the most important thing in life – God. We live in a sterile secular bubble, while enemies seeking our destruction are inflamed by deep religious passion. Guess who wins that one? If we don’t start drawing down on the power of faith we are going to be annihilated.

So yes, Brit was proselytizing, but it was the good kind of proselytization. Our problem is that in our religiously saccharine public square we no longer distinguish between good and bad proselytization.

I doubt we would have heard this on any other network but Fox. Someone has said that Fox actually has become the new mainstream media; because the others have moved so far to the Left. Maybe that’s why Fox’s ratings positively demolish everyone else’s.

Update: Politics Daily has a good survey of the reaction to Brit’s comment, and some background on his conversion.

Christianity Today interview with Brit.

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Two good laughs

— Posted inCulture and Society, salvation — 1 min read

I’m in a zany mood, maybe as an aftereffect of that last post, but I just came across two items that made me crack up.

First, the inimitable Ramirez from IBD:

Calling Al Gore...

Then, a slightly offbeat but hilarious exposition of the Gospel by Ann Coulter. Here’s the end, but if you have the time don’t peek. Enjoy.

Christianity is also the hardest religion in the world because, if you believe Christ died for your sins and rose from the dead, you have no choice but to give your life entirely over to Him. No more sexual promiscuity, no lying, no cheating, no stealing, no killing inconvenient old people or unborn babies — no doing what all the other kids do.

And no more caring what the world thinks of you — because, as Jesus warned in a prophecy constantly fulfilled by liberals: The world will hate you.

With Christianity, your sins are forgiven, the slate is wiped clean and your eternal life is guaranteed through nothing you did yourself, even though you don’t deserve it. It’s the best deal in the universe.

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The high call

— Posted inBible, Church, Faith, Spiritual Growth — 10 min read

Sometimes the real issue is not the pressing issue. Sometimes a more basic principle is at play that we dare not violate. Especially when we think we can handle a tricky situation ourselves, we can choose an expedient solution, only to find that we’ve made the situation far worse. The devil’s most effective time of getting us to stumble can be when we least expect it.

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Notes on the war

— Posted inChurch, Culture and Society, current events — 3 min read

Just a quick note on three outstanding pieces, two re the war on terror and one on the state of conservatism.

First, Krauthammer, again, this time holding forth on the administration’s very poor conduct of the war on terror. War, what war? Whatever one may think of waterboarding, giving terrorists Miranda rights is not the way to win a war; it is the way to put our civilization and its most innocent members in deep jeopardy. Obama’s leadership in the war-that-is-no-longer-a-war has been worse than non-existent, and Krauthammer does a marvelous job explicating that. Our “Charles Martel” has always been exceptional, but over the past several months he has been outdoing himself consistently.

Then, on the philosophical side, here’s an article – an excellent one, in my estimation – on Evangelical Pacifism in the War on Terror, by Mark D. Tooley. Sadly, the Left-Right divide also affects the Body of Christ. It’s not supposed to be so according to Jesus’ High Priestly Prayer of John 17, but when innocent people are in danger of heinous terrorism, isn’t that an important enough subject to have an opinion on? Shouldn’t being a Christian not only make us more tuned into what is going on, but also an effective change agent?

Are our differences because we are not concentrating on the fundamentals that unite us? Or is it because one side or both are off on those very fundamentals? It’s nothing new that the Body is at loggerheads on serious issues, to be sure, and 2Ti 3.1-6 and other verses warn us of big problems that were to come in the church, but it’s nonetheless lamentable.

Finally, there’s a very-well-written piece on Sarah Palin being “Man of the Year” (the author’s term, not mine). At this point, Sarah is divisive, though her numbers have been changing dramatically. But no matter what you think of her, you have to admit that she’s been subjected to an amazing level of personal attack, and just keeps ticking. This is more than an article on her, however, it’s on the state of conservatism at this crucial juncture, and it’s an interesting read.

UPDATE: While I’m on this subject, I can’t resist adding this Mark Steyn piece to Krauthammer’s on the subject of our national defense being in utter disarray. Amazingly good writing. It’s surreal to be able to appreciate writing, when the subject is so dreadfully serious. But that’s the way it is sometimes. The clarity here will hopefully change minds about the direction in which we’re going.

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Reflections on the change of year

— Posted inCulture and Society, Faith, Spiritual Growth — 6 min read

I think the New Year holiday is a good time to reflect back on where we’ve been, where we are and where we’re going. Jesus often exhorted the first disciples to “come apart to a desert place”. We need to periodically change our mental scenery so that we can get a fresh perspective on ourselves.

Walid Shoebat

— Posted inCulture and Society, islam — 1 min read

If you can find about an hour’s time, I encourage you to check out this prophecy conference held almost a year ago. This is a seven-part series with Walid Shoebat, who had an American mother and a Jordanian father, was raised a Muslim and eventually became a PLO terrorist. Then he found Christ.

Walid knows his Bible, and approaches end times prophecy from a different point of view than most Westerners. He’s very down-to-earth and speaks with refreshing frankness. There are some real gems of understanding in this presentation. The church really needs to wake up to this stuff, quickly.

The series is labeled A1 of 7, A2 of 7, etc. and is easy to follow.

Still think you won’t be paying for abortions?

— Posted inCulture and Society, current events — 2 min read

From Newsrealblog comes this damning video of the Sec. of HHS Sebelius describing an accounting sleight of hand that will indeed cause every taxpayer to pay for abortion.

It’s bad enough for a nation to tolerate abortion. Elective abortion blatantly crosses the line of God’s sovereignty regarding human life, a line that cannot be crossed without bad consequences, and I will always vote to outlaw it. But it’s even worse for that nation to compel its citizens to actually pay for a procedure that gravely violates their conscience. Yet that is exactly where our leaders are taking us.

Such is the coercive nature of the humanism that is taking the reins of our nation, and it could only be succeeding in this by Orwellianly claiming for itself the mantle of tolerance and mercy. I have a friend who appropriated the old Biblical song of the daughters of Israel, and very perceptively coined the expression, “Repression has silenced its thousands, and tolerance its ten thousands”.

Behold, then, the mendacity of the woman who, along with the secretive bureaucrats of the FDA, will be controlling one-sixth of the economy should the healthcare bill pass.

We have our work cut out for us.

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uCmFFDyDrv8&feature=player_embedded]

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Iran on the verge -updated w/Krauthammer

— Posted inCulture and Society, current events, end times, Prayer — 4 min read

The nation of Iran nears a boiling point. Street clashes are intensifying and turning increasingly violent. There has been a incendiary statement, purportedly from military leaders who are ready to turn on the evil Islamic regime. Whether legitimate or not, the statement will have effect. Adding to the tension, the opposition has called for a general strike today.

The people are no longer just calling for new elections; they are calling for the end of the tyrannical Islamic pseudo-republic. The terrorism of the regime has stepped up, with some ten dead this weekend alone, including the nephew of an opposition leader.

The freedom fighters have shown incredible courage in the face of official brutality that has included the widespread systematic torture, rape and murder of detainees in the notorious prisons. The patriots have been an inspiration to people everywhere who have been watching and encouraging from the sidelines.

In Iran there has been a daring new openness and reevaluation of many things long held sacrosanct. One significant group issued a public apology for the seizure of the American embassy and hostages thirty years ago, and some of the original hostage-takers were signatories.

Two-thirds of the Iranian population are under thirty-five years of age. Many of them have new ideas and have no stock in the 1979 Islamic revolution, which proved to be a total fraud, devastating the Iranian social fabric and making the nation a most evil player on the world scene.

What’s more, many people are not merely questioning the validity of the regime, they are questioning Islam itself. Voice of the Martyrs has reported that there is an astonishing wave of conversions to Christ taking place in Iran, so much so that the authorities are alarmed and have stepped up religious repression. Just a mention of the name of Jesus brings numerous inquiries into what Christianity is all about, often quickly followed by the reception of Christ as Lord. This is beyond exciting!

Please pray for the protection of the patriots and that their courage would hold out, and pray that the evil regime would be toppled with no more bloodshed. Pray that this highly-repressed land would once again be free, and would be open to the spread of the only Gospel that can bring true freedom. Jesus truly loves the people of Iran and wants to set them free.

The thief does not come except to steal and to kill and to destroy. I have come so that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly. -Jn 10.10

Therefore if the Son shall make you free, you shall be free indeed. -Jn 8.36

Stand fast therefore in the liberty with which Christ has made us free, and do not again be held with the yoke of bondage. -Gal 5:1

God bless the people of Iran.

11:34pm: Obama has finally spoken on Iran, and here’s video of Krauthammer demolishing his words. Obama comes off as, well, a community organizer. I’m positive he was great at that task, because he retains the aura. That is not something that is going to impress our enemies. He is utterly unconvincing in speaking of these matters of profoundest import, as behind it all one senses a lawyerly negotiator preferring to take it to a committee. But even a community organizer should like a good showdown. Where’s the street fighter here? Even the European leaders have easily outdone Obama on Iran. Six months late, and he’s still falling short of a target that has moved.

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ohF2NayTNAA&feature=player_embedded]

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This day we fight!

— Posted inCulture and Society, islam, Prayer — 7 min read

Yesterday I cited the admonition of Jesus, “To whom much is given, much will be required”. But God judges nations as well as people. And as He does with people, God judges nations subjectively, based on what each one could do, on what each one could be.

So, even if we take comfort in seeming to do more than the “next guy”, when we don’t follow the Lord wholeheartedly ourselves, we begin to fall, spiritually first, then manifestly. Again, Jesus warns us,

You are the salt of the earth, but if the salt loses its savor, with what shall it be salted? It is no longer good for anything, but to be thrown out and to be trodden underfoot by men. -Mt 5.13

Consider the blessings of freedom and prosperity which America has been given. Were these merely for our own enjoyment? No, we were to use them to help lift others up as well. At our finest moments, we have done just that, often at great sacrifice. I’m thinking here of the wars of liberation we fought on the global stage.

America became the hope of the world precisely because it signified a break with the futile old ways of doing things. Our system of government was thoroughly based on the Bible, which teaches the paradoxical truth that while man is deserving of dignity because he is made in God’s image, he still cannot be trusted with absolute power because he is a sinner. Thus we became a nation of limited government, checks and balances, equal representation, and equal standing under the law. The system was of necessity imperfect, because man is imperfect, but overall it served us well. And it was so much better than anything anyone else had that people from everywhere flocked to our shores.

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America used to be a beacon

— Posted inCulture and Society — 3 min read

Jesus said that “unless a grain of wheat fall to the earth and die, it cannot bear much fruit.” The world will never forget Neda, and the Iranian people will never rest until they are free of political and religious tyranny. Through her sacrifice, Neda has already begun to bear incalculable good fruit.