The Myth of the Founding Fathers

I know I haven't posted in a bit, but it is soon coming. I'm working on a piece refutes the idea that 97% percent of our founding fathers were Christians. Why would I do this you say? Well stay tuned and find.

A new candidate

Some zany ideas

What, two blogs in one night...why yes it is my friends. Just like the double features of the bygone days.
While I was sitting in church on Sunday at Mars Hill listening to another fine sermon by Mark Driscoll, a Wu-Tang Clan song came to mind. The title of the song was entitled C.R.E.A.M. and the course went a little something like this, "Cash, Rules, Everything, Around, Me. /C.R.E.A.M./Get the money/Dollar, dollar bill, ya'll." And before everyone blows me up for the Wu-Tang Clan for popping into my head during church let me explain a little further. The sermon was on God gives, and Driscoll was detailing how we as Christians have become poor stewards of God's possessions. Instead of serving the Jesus, we takes jobs that give us a little extra "breathing" room. For what...a new car... a member ship to the health club....new carpet....a redone kitchen...a new tv(that is something I am guilty of)...fancy new clothes...name brand groceries...Truth be told we are guilty, one time or another, living by Wu-Tang's Clan credo of C.R.E.A.M. Though none of the above mentioned things are in of themselves wrong, I am issuing a challenge to detail your budgets and try and document everything you spend. And see if you are being a good steward. Stewardship is not about just tithing, it is about using everything God gave you for His glory. I myself have fallen way short in this area. I buy mt. dew like I'm preparing for the decimation of the world. I treat Christmas, as though the stores are going to suddenly run out of toys. I fill my kids closets as though I was preparing on becoming a Mormon. Boys and Girls, take inventory and see if you are being a good steward.

On a long side note, during the sermon a couple of other ideas popped into my head. I will relay them. They are need of some serious fine tuning. Here they are any rate.
One idea is to implement as soon as possible a ministry where the people of the church, give(with a gracious heart of course:) $10-$25 or more a week, bi-weekly, monthly,etc. to a ministry that would be involved in helping out the community. Some facets of this ministry would include, at the beginning stages: Providing thanksgiving meals to families in need, providing a "good" Xmas for the single-moms with kids or families who are in dire straits, putting jackets on kids during the cold Philly winters, etc. As the ministry grows, I would like to see it include chipping in on the bill on those with medical needs, taking some stress off the single moms by taking/giving her a day at the spa(or whatever she likes to do) and taking the kids to theme park, a museum, etc.

The second idea involved challenging the church members to go through possessions and see what they don't use from toys to clothes to tools to cribs and gather them up and starting up a thrift type of store for the needy. The only catch is I want this store not look like your typical musty, thrift. I would like to see clothes clean and on hangars or folded nicely. I would like the toys in working order and not beat up. Though people can donate what they want I would like to this the person "in-charge" sifting through the stuff to make sure it works, it clean, etc. And best of all everything is going to be free.

Anyway, those were just a couple of random thoughts, if you have any suggestion throw them my way. Or if you know someone who does this type of ministry throw them my way.

Organic Gospel

Organic Gospel , you say? Maybe you're thinking I was in Seattle a little too long and was affected a bit too much by some second-hand reefer smoke. Alas, that is not the case. This thought did pop into my noggin' while I was out in lovely Pacific Northwest. You see, everywhere I turned in Seattle something was organic. From coffee to ice cream. From hair gel to toilet paper(Sheryl Crow would be happy). I'm pretty sure if you needed something organic you can find it in the best city in America. Or you could just ask my sister, as she seems to have fallen into the religiosity of organicism.
Something popped into my melon while I was searching in vain for a nice piece of cooked cow,with bacon, extra cheese, a load of bbq sauce and some greasy fries. How many churches out there today fall away from the "organic" gospel. And when I say organic gospel I'm referring the no-nonsense bible-preaching gospel of yesteryear. A time when Charles Spurgeon would stand up and blast from the pulpit,

“Avoid a sugared gospel as you would shun sugar of lead. Seek that gospel which rips up and tears and cuts and wounds and hacks and even kills, for that is the gospel that makes alive again. And when you have found it, give good heed to it. Let it enter into your inmost being. As the rain soaks into the ground, so pray the Lord to let his gospel soak into your soul.”

It seems as though the church by and large has lost sight of this. I believe the time is now to get back to the "organic" gospel. Too much time has been wasted offering a fast-food, thrill of the moment, drive-in theater version of the gospel. The gospel must penetrate. It must be painful. It must kill. If it doesn't than then all we have become are double-whopper eating fat bastards, who obviously don't give a rip about Jesus.

If I were Satan...

If I were Satan, I would create dissension among the rank and file,
I would make them argue to the point of them calling each other vile.
I would have men create systems of knowledge to displace God's Word,
In doing so, I can make the Christians begin to abscond
From the Blood Atonement which should be their common bond,
I can stir up controversy, so they hurl verbal bombs,
I will create disunity over music, worship, and dress,
Then they can plant this pseudo-knowledge as a badge of honor firmly onto their chest.

I will split them into sects, to inject a little more pride,
So they will rely less on Jesus, and more on man's lies.
If I do this my followers will see,
The Followers of Him are not of love as they claim to be.
Rather they are just like my cohorts,
Who seek to displace God's authority.

If I were Satan, I would turn Jesus into a Son of malice and hate,
If I do this I will make people curse their so-called fate.
If I can I accomplish this untenable task,
I shall be able to mask,
The Love I know God has for them,
The Love that I forsook so long ago.

Sifting through the Sewage: Pentacostalism

Sometimes late at night when I'm surfing channels on the boob tube, I search for shows having a bit of a humorous bent. Sure, there are funny shows such as the Family Guy, Curb Your Enthusiasm, and Flight of the Conchords. For my money, nothing is funnier than watching the nonsense that flows out of TBN. From Benny Hinn to T.D. Jakes these dudes claim to be prophets of God and Bible-believing Christians. If only they read their Bible, maybe they could be Bible-believing Christians. Most of their nonsense would be funny if it were not so heretical.
Exhibit A- Oneness Theoolgy
This is basically a cute word for modalism. Within this is the belief is the idea that tongues is necessary sign for salvation,a denial of the pre-existence of Christ, a belief that Jesus was Himself the Father.
To say that tongues is necessary for salvation is utter horse crap! Just cursory glance at Scripture(Eph. 2:8-9) shows that is through grace and that sign of a believer is the sanctification by the Spirit that takes place.(2 Thess. 2:13)
On the pre-existence of Christ, I suppose they should check out John 1:1, and then try and defend the B.S. they pass off as Christianity.
To refute the position that Jesus was Himself the Father, I would like to kindly point out that Jesus is never once explicitly called the Father in the New Testament, while oddly enough there are the Father is referred to be distinct from Jesus over 200 times.

Exhibit B- Here are some quotes taken from some these great men of god(And yes, I am aware that I used a lower case "g")!
Benny Hinn - "Jesus Christ knew the only way he would stop Satan was by becoming one in nature with him."
Joyce Meyer -"There is no hope of anyone going to heaven unless they believe this truth I am presenting. You cannot go to heaven unless you believe with all your heart that Jesus took your place in hell."
And Kenneth Copeland -"When Jesus cried "It is finished!" He was not speaking of the plan of redemption. There were still three days and nights to go through before He went to the throne. He was referring to the Abrahamic Covenant. Jesus' death on the cross was only the beginning of the complete work of redemption. He accepted the sin nature of Satan in His own spirit. And at that moment that He did so He cried, 'My God, My God, Why hast thou forsaken me?' You don't know what happened at the cross. Why do you think Moses, upon instruction of God, raised the serpent upon that pole instead of a lamb? That use to bug me. I said, 'Why in the world would you want to put a snake up there - the sign of Satan? Why didn't you put a lamb on that pole?' And the Lord said, 'Because it was a sign of Satan that was hanging on the cross.' He said, 'I accepted in my own spirit, spiritual death; and the light was turned off'"

Well, if you're willing to follow their line of thinking, then you might as well throw atonement in the crapper. Without Jesus shedding His blood on the Cross for our sin, we have no Salvation. And without salvation, we might as well grab a shotgun and blow off our head, because life no longer has any meaning.

Unity?!?!

Is there a necessity of church unity today? I do not refer to the unity of believers in specific church setting, such as a baptist, methodist, presbyterian. etc. I am referring specifically to the unity of believers as a whole in the body of Christ. Why do I bring this up? For a couple of reasons, It seems within the context of Christianity we have all these quarrels and other nonsensical debates that ramble on yet do not edify anyone, but rather serve to create strife in the church community. Some examples off the top of my head are churches that refuse to associate with other churches on the basis of the gifts of the Holy Spirit. Here's a news flash I think if God wanted to do away with the gifts he would have put it in the Word. As far as the other side, there are rules to which gifts are to be used.
Another example is constant haggling over Arminianism vs. Calvinism, I personally think this issue has been one major issues that has caused much of the disunity among believers.
My point in bringing this up, is that these are second hand issues that have no place in competing with the main purpose of glorifying God, which is our sole purpose. When it comes right down to the brass tacks, should make a difference if John MacArthur were to speak at Mars Hill in Seattle, or does it matter if Driscoll were to speak at MacArthur's church? Do they not believe in the same Jesus. The same Jesus who calls us to repentance.
While it is fun to discuss these second hand issues in civil discourse. Once the gloves come off and you start distancing yourself from fellow believers, because they don't think like you think. You have not only done a disservice to other Christians, you have caused unbelievers to view us as a bunch of jackasses. All because you're "brilliant" application of the Scripture doesn't jive with the other "heathen" Christians.