2 Why I am (still) a Christian: Not Because of the Traditional Proofs of God

Introduction

In my first blog post, I clearly state that I am a Christian because the Bible commands me to be. I am a Christian because the one and only self-existing Triune God; Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, has revealed all we need for faith and practice in the pages of His self-authenticating Bible.

That last sentence is a mouthful, but in our day in age, one has to be precise on what you mean when you talk about God, even the Christian God. There are too many imposters even in the Church who mean something vastly different when they talk about God than what the Bible means when it refers to Him.

Traditional Proofs

Be that as it may, in this blog post, I take time to write why I am NOT a Christian because of the Traditional Proofs (from now on I will use “TPs” for the Traditional Proofs) for the existence of God. 

I am not a Christian because the TPs for the existence of God convinced me. In fact, I will go so far as to say that the TPs are an abysmal failure when it comes to proving God's existence. If they weren't, why doesn't every unbeliever fall on their faces before the feet of Jesus Christ when they hear them?

Essentially the TPs consist of the ontological, cosmological, teleological arguments. Some argue for the existence of God based on design, motion, causation, and being. Whatever form the argument takes, they all share one common theme; they claim to prove the existence of God.

I think there is irrefutable proof of God's existence, but I will save that for a future blog post. For now, I will outline why the TPs did not, and still do not, convince me of God's existence. Included in each of my critiques is why I do not think these arguments will persuade unbelievers.

The TPs put the unbeliever in the seat of judgment of God. 

Interestingly, you cannot find any proof for the existence of God in the Bible. God never proves His existence. The Bible starts, "In the beginning, God…" (Genesis 1:1) This is not a proof; it is a statement of fact!

The Bible has many passages that repudiate putting man in the judgment seat, demanding God prove Himself. When Satan asked Jesus for proof, He replied:

It is said, “You shall not put the Lord your God to the test." Luke 4:17

In Job 38:1-5, God asks Job 77 questions that proclaim His existence starting with these questions:

Then the Lord answered Job out of the whirlwind and said: "Who is this that darkens counsel by words without knowledge? Dress for action like a man; I will question you, and you make it known to me. "Where were you when I laid the foundation of the earth? Tell me, if you have understanding. Who determined its measurements—surely you know!

Finally, God says in Romans 9:20:

But who are you, O man, to answer back to God?

I started this series on Why I am (still) a Christian with the authority of Scripture. God is not asking us to believe in His existence; he commands it.

TPs assume the unbeliever's reason hasn't been affected by sin.

When Christian Apologists try to convince an unbeliever using the TPs, they assume that the unbeliever's mind has not been marred by Adam's original sin. They suppose that man’s fallen nature doesn’t affected man's intellect. They believe the reason an unbeliever isn’t convinced is because there is a flaw in the argument or in the deliverer of the proof.

The Traditional Proofs for the existence of God are perfectly valid, but they are ineffective for converting a sinner to trust in Christ alone for salvation.

The Bible doesn’t offer proofs because it states that the revelation of God is clear to everyone:

For what can be known about God is plain to them, because God has shown it to them.  For his invisible attributes, namely, his eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly perceived, ever since the creation of the world, in the things that have been made. So they are without excuse. For although they knew God, they did not honor him as God or give thanks to him, but they became futile in their thinking, and their foolish hearts were darkened. Claiming to be wise, they became fools, and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images resembling mortal man and birds and animals and creeping things. Romans 1:19-23

Furthermore, unbelievers have the proof of God already in their hearts:

For when Gentiles, who do not have the law, by nature do what the law requires, they are a law to themselves, even though they do not have the law. They show that the work of the law is written on their hearts, while their conscience also bears witness, and their conflicting thoughts accuse or even excuse them on that day when, according to my gospel, God judges the secrets of men by Christ Jesus. Romans 2:14-16

The unbeliever isn’t convinced because they are blinded. The Bible states in 2 Corinthians 4:3+4:

And even if our gospel is veiled, it is veiled to those who are perishing. In their case, the god of this world has blinded the minds of the unbelievers, to keep them from seeing the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God.

Unbelievers do not acknowledge the truth of God’s existence because:

by their unrighteousness (they) suppress the truth. Romans 1:18

I will give one last Scripture and consider this matter closed. Unbelievers are spiritual “dead men walking” as it says Ephesians 2:1-3:

And you were dead in the trespasses and sins in which you once walked, following the course of this world, following the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that is now at work in the sons of disobedience— among whom we all once lived in the passions of our flesh, carrying out the desires of the body and the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, like the rest of mankind.

The TPs fail because the intellect of unbelievers is dead to the things of the Spirit. It's not that they aren't intelligent; it's that they are spiritually blinded and cannot see unless the Spirit of God enables them:

Now we have received not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, that we might understand the things freely given us by God. And we impart this in words not taught by human wisdom but taught by the Spirit, interpreting spiritual truths to those who are spiritual. 1 Corinthians 2:12+13

TPs can only prove that a "god" may possibly exist and nothing more.

At best, all the TPs can do is prove to the unbeliever that there might be a "god" who possibly exists. The proofs are a matter of probability to the skeptic rather than necessity. If the proofs prove theism, that a “god” exists, we have to ask, “what god?” The god of Islam, the Mormons, the Gnostics, the Pagans, the Deists, or just "god"? Proving a "god" exists is a far cry to proving the Trinity and the divinity of Jesus Christ.

Faith Comes By Hearing the Word of God

The method of converting sinners to the gospel does not come by intellectually proving the existence of God. The Bible is clear that faith comes by the work of the Holy Spirt through the proclamation of His word:

So faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ. Romans 10:17

This is why my first blog post simply points to the Bible as the only authority for Christianity. As I proclaim the Bible through whatever means, the Holy Spirit will use this proclaimation to open the spiritual eyes of blind sinners.

Does this mean there is no place for the Traditional Proofs? We are called to defend the faith. The Bible has countless examples of Christian Apologetics. It even commands that we defend the faith in 1 Peter 3:15:

But in your hearts honor Christ the Lord as holy, always being prepared to make a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you; yet do it with gentleness and respect.

Conclusion

The Traditional Proofs do not do justice to defending the faith. They cater to man’s desire to sit in judgement of God. They assume that people’s intellect has remained untarnished and there is a ability to aprehend things of the Spirit. Finally, the best they can do is possibly prove there might be a “god.”

In my next blog post, I will offer the only sound proof there is for the existence of God, but not just any god. It is the proof for the existence of the one and only self-existent Trinitarian God as revealed in the self-attesting Bible.

1 Why I Am (still) A Christian: Biblical Authority

Why This Series?

I am writing this series so that whoever reads this blog post will come to faith in Jesus Christ and be saved. I also am writing it to strengthen the faith of those who already claim the name of Jesus Christ. Many Christians have seriously compromised their faith through immorality, disobedience, and indifference because they don't obey what God wrote in the Bible.

Why am I a Christian?

My mind races to many answers. I could start by saying that I am a Christian because I heard the gospel (Romans 10:17), and God has given me the gift of faith (Ephesians 2:8) and given me new life in Christ. (2 Corinthians 5:17) And I would be telling you the truth.

Notice I sprinkled that the last paragraph with Scriptural references. Most unbelievers pass by the verses Christians put in parenthesis because it means nothing to them. Why do I include them? Because as a Christian, I do not trust in my own wisdom. I do not trust human tradition either, nor do I trust human opinion or any other human beings' information.

The Role of the Authority of Scripture

I must start the defense of Christianity by beginning with the authority of Scripture. The information we have about Christianity comes from no other source. There is no higher authority than what God has revealed in the sixty-six books of the Bible. This assortment of books composes a single Book claiming something no other book in all of human history claims - to be the self-revelation of the one and only true God.

I am a Christian because God has communicated all we need to know for the right faith and practice in the Bible. Why do I believe this? Because this is God's own testimony given throughout the pages of the Scripture. 

The Self-Attesting Bible

The Bible is self-attesting. What does that mean? It means that there is no other source of validation than the Bible itself. If anything other than the Bible verified the Bible's authenticity, then that authenticator would be a higher authority than the Bible. 

I can easily prove that no other ancient document even comes close to the historical reliability of the Bible. Many fine books show the Bible not only meets but exceeds any standard used to authenticate ancient documents. While such a study is interesting, it would reinforce the false notion that the Bible needs external authentication. 

Even if skeptics read the finest, most scholarly books that defend the Bible's reliability, they will still walk away, shaking their heads in doubt. Why? Because they come to the Bible with their prejudice already in place. The problem is not whether I can prove the historical reliability of the Bible; the real issue is whether the unbeliever will acknowledge the Bible's testimony about itself.

The Bible’s Self-Authenticating Witness

The Bible claims that God is speaking over three thousand times. I challenge both the unbelievers and believers alike to see for themselves. I issue this challenge because most Christians, let alone unbelievers haven't read through the Bible.

Imagine if I wrote this blog post criticizing a book I've never read. What if I started the blog post writing, "I have never read the book I'm going to critique but..." What credibility would I have? None! Yet, I've listened to unbelievers express their opinion on the Bible without ever having read it. Oh, they may have read a verse here and a passage there, but they've never taken the time actually to read the Bible. 

This goes for most Christians as well. I listen to Christians debate theology, express opinions that don't line up with what the Bible says, or don't reference the Scriptures in their daily lives. My challenge to both unbelievers and believers is to read through the Bible. You can find it read on Audible or read for free on Youtube. There's just no excuse for not having read the Bible.

I have read the Bible through several times. I have read all of it in Spanish as well. I have a working knowledge of Biblical Hebrew and Greek and have read many passages in the original language. I have also preached line by line through many books of the Bible and lead in-depth Bible studies throughout my time as a pastor. At this moment, I am about three-quarters of the way through rereading it again. I can tell you from experience, you cannot read the Bible without being confronted by God’s own witness of Himself on every page.

What We Learn in the Bible

I am a Christian because God commanded me to have faith in Christ through the authority of the written word of God contained in the Old and New Testament. From beginning to end, God calls us to trust in Christ.

I learn everything I need to know about this awesome God in the Holy Scriptures. In the pages of the Bible, I learn He is the creator of heaven and earth, that He is Holy, that He is just, that He is good, that He is One God who exists as the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. I learn that the Second Person of the Trinity became flesh, fully God and fully Man.

I learn that God the Father ordained the crucifixion of Jesus Christ through sinful human beings so that He might forgive the sins of all who believe in Christ. I learn the Holy Spirit, the Third Person of the Trinity, applies the shed blood of Jesus Christ to all who believe in Christ. I learn that all humanity is dead in their trespasses and sins, and only through God's decision can anyone be saved. I know about God's law and how the Holy Spirit writes the law of God on our new hearts. I learn why men and women are equal, why prejudice is evil, and why we should help the poor. It's all there!

No Logic, Science, or Morality Apart from Scripture

I learn that logic is possible only when you start with the Trinitarian God of the Bible. (Isaiah 1:18) Without Him, we cannot account for logical reasoning. Nor can we account for science. I learn that atheists can do science as unbelievers, but they cannot "do" science apart from the revelation of the God who ordains all that comes to pass through the counsel of His will. (Ephesians 1:11). Through Biblical revelation, we have the foundation for morality. The Bible reveals that God is good (Mark 10:18) and that He hates wickedness (Psalm 11:5) and that He will punish those who do not have faith in Christ. (Matthew 7:21-23)

In short, without the self-revelation of the self-existent God, as revealed in the Bible, you cannot prove anything. Without the Bible, we are lost in human subjective opinion and oppression. Without God, the law of the jungle reigns. It's every man for himself; might makes right through the evolutionary survival of the fittest.

Conclusion

I am a Christian first and foremost because God has given us everything we need to know for faith and practice in the pages of the Bible. I believe because apart from this revelation, we can't be sure of anything. Without this revelation, there is no foundation for salvation, logic, science, or morality.

I am a Christian because God has communicated all that we need to know in the pages of the Bible.

What about you?

Are You Ready For Catacomb Christianity?

There is growing discomfort amongst American Bible-believing Christians. I have ever-increasing conversations with others about our concerns. We talk about how the Unground Church gathers in secret throughout the world in persecuted countries. We wonder if we will have to do this in the USA. Why in the world are we talking about this?

Our discussions go beyond our distaste of the seeker-friendly, sappy, entertainment-centered, dead-mainline denominationalism, we-accept-everyone-no-matter-your-lifestyle, God-loves-everyone-no-matter-what, 501(c)3-incorporated-business-model church. Just as grandma felt the gathering storm in her bones, so we sense the needle in the spiritual barometer in the United States moving toward "high pressure."

The American Church has been dying for some time now. Perhaps it is because, like Israel of old, the Bride of Christ in American has become a whore, joining herself in the unholy union to the State through the sin of Incorporation. It could be because the American Church has become more concerned with filling their coffers and pews than with offending people with the gospel of Jesus Christ. (John 6:66) Perhaps it is because most pastors have traded in their calling for a career and love their semi-celebrity status. Whatever the reason, the American Church, in its present state, is compromised.

It is time for American Christians to wake up. The true gospel is offensive. We proclaim the One and only self-existing True Triune God; Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. All other religions are false religions. That goes for Mormons, Jehovah's Witnesses, Islam, Ekhart Tolle, Eastern Religions, Paganism, Gnosticism, Marxism, Feel-Good Churchianity, etc. We believe every word of the self-attesting Bible. We are willing to die for the cause of Jesus Christ, the Second Person of the Holy Trinity, the only mediator between God and Man. We proclaim the message, "No King but Jesus!"

Christians are afraid to gather for worship. They are scared of COVID-19, of being traced, or being turned in if too many gather in one place. They are afraid to greet one another with a holy kiss, afraid of gathering together to sing hymns of praise, fearful of taking communion, afraid of baptizing, afraid of making disciples, afraid of preaching the gospel, afraid of praying for the sick... afraid afraid afraid afraid. Where in the Bible does it ever say His People are to give in to fear?

And there is a new fear now. It is the fear of being caught gathering. I've heard Christians say they are worried about being turned in. Can you believe it? There is a fear that if you meet in a home, a business, a church building, or a public place, the government will write your names down and make you disperse or, worse, arrest you.

I can't help but think about Theoden in the Lord of the Rings at Helms deep. While the demonic hoards march to destroy them, he asks, "How did it come to this?"

I also think about his words right before the battle, "And so it begins."

The question is, what are we going to do about it? Are we going to cower in our homes in fear? Are we going to let fear dictate our actions? Are we going to obey God or man?

The early Christians gathered in the catacombs under the streets of Rome while, above, they were fed to the lions or set on fire to light Nero’s orgies. The catacombs were a series of tomb tunnels. The Christians buried their dead there and eventually began to worship Jesus Christ in the catacombs because of the severe persecutions they suffered in the Roman Empire. I wonder if we will be forced to worship in the American catacomb equivalent. What that is, I do not know. Perhaps it is symbolic; we will have to begin to worship in secret, out of the watchful eye of nosey neighbors or intrusive government.

I am ready. I am willing to participate in a Church like this. I am prepared to help, organize, perhaps lead, or do whatever needs to be done to begin doing what God commands us to do as Christians. I am ready to participate again in worship where we pray, sing praises, read the word, share communion, baptize, correct, preach, and encourage.

I am ready for the American Catacomb Church.

What about you?

The Death of the United Methodist Church: Part 3 - The Gnostic Connection

Introduction

I am wrestling with how to present this next analysis. What I am about to write has contributed significantly to the United Methodist Church's demise. It is perhaps the real reason the UMC is dying. 

In my first blog post, I identified Corporate Pluralism as a significant contributor. In my second blog post, I link this concept with the Wesleyan Quadrilateral where Tradition, Reason, and Experience slay Scripture as United Methodist "do" theology.

Background

Anyone involved in the United Methodist Church knows the tension, even hostility, between the theological left and the conservative right. I saw this as a young man when I attended the Bakerville United Methodist Church in New Hartford, Connecticut. I had the honor of knowing Pastor George Smith as a teenager and was blessed to serve as an assistant pastor for several years.

I remember talking with Pastor George at length about the direction of the UMC and what can be done about it. I was familiar with the Good News Movement and personally knew men like Rev. Riley Case, who worked relentlessly to bring truth to the UMC. There was a great divide back then, with a long ugly history. This hostility continues to this day, and the fruit is the "traditionalist" (an interesting characterization, to say the least) are being politely but forcefully told to leave. 

For years I couldn't understand what was happening in the UMC. At times, I experienced anger and outright hostility toward those of us who held to the truth of Biblical Christianity. I think I understand now what was going on.

The Clergy/Laity Divide

There is, and always has been, a great divide between clergy and laity in the United Methodist Church. You cannot find this distinction in the Bible. The Scripture indeed reveals that the role of elder/pastor/overseer is God's will. However, there is no elitism associated with ordination in the Bible, especially the kind you see played out in the UMC.

The term "clergy" comes from old French words that mean those with "learning, knowledge, and erudition." "Laity" comes from the Greek word "λαϊκός, laikos," which means people. In essence, the UMC has adopted more of an Anglican and Roman Catholic understanding of church leadership than the Reformed pastoral view. There is a great chasm between those who are ordained in the UMC and those who are not. This divide is where, I believe, Gnosticism has entered the UMC. 

The Development of Gnostic Clergy

Gnosticism comes from the Greek word for knowledge. It is the belief that knowledge, particularly esoteric knowledge will bring about spiritual enlightenment and salvation. This knowledge is given to the initiated, not just anyone. Many of our institutions of higher “education” are becoming more and more gnostic in orientation, this includes colleges, universities, and seminaries.

Much of the theology that United Methodist clergy learn and study in UMC seminaries is so esoteric that it is almost impossible to understand. I challenge my readers to pick up a book by Karl Barth, Jürgen Moltmann, Emil Brunner, Rudolf Bultmann, and Friedrich Schleiermacher, to name a few. These theologians are routinely taught in United Methodist seminaries. Try and understand the intricacies of Process Theology, Liberation Theology, Feminist Theology, and Neo-Orthodox Theology. Those theologies are just the tip of the Gnostic iceberg. 

Paul writes in I Timothy 6:20-21:

O Timothy! Guard what was committed to your trust, avoiding the profane and vain babblings and contradictions of what is falsely called knowledge—by professing it some have strayed concerning the faith. Grace be with you. Amen. (emphasis mine)

I have an undergraduate in Philosophy and a Master's degree in Divinity. I have been studying theology much of my life, and I still have difficulty understanding these various theologies. These theologians and theologies are examples of true Theological Pluralism, i.e. Gnostic Theology. I have, of late, undertaken a study of Karl Barth. Because of my Philosophy background, I can understand some of what he wrote. My knowledge of existentialism and Kantian philosophy helps, but to be honest, I am often lost. I guess I am not bright enough to receive enlightenment.

These theologians and theologies have one thing in common; they are all based upon esoteric knowledge*. The hideousness of Gnostic belief is that it uses familiar terms. The meaning of these terms to the uninitiated is vastly different than what we would expect. 

We see this same manifestation of Gnosticism in Freemasonry, for example. Only as you rise higher in the ranks, are you granted more light on the true meaning of the various words and concepts. It is no different for the seminarian as he or she advances through the ranks of United Methodism. As you advance, you are taught the “true” meaning of the Bible.

Another way to explain the new religion behind the UMC, many mainline denominations, even those in government is Perennial Philosophy or Perennial Wisdom. Essential, it is the belief that all religions are One. We may have different expressions such as Christianity, Buddhism, Islam, and so on. Understand this, and you will understand much of what is happening in the Church and in our Government.

While there are clergy men and women in the UMC who consciously espouse the gnosticism behind Theological Pluralism, many are unaware that they have replaced the true faith in exchange for a lie. (Romans 1:25) Many new seminarians and pastors blindly swallow the poison their mentors and professors feed them. These leaders disparage and mock Biblical Christianity by labeling it fundamentalist, traditionalist, and narrow-minded. Unless a new candidate understands the manipulation, they ingest the poison.

The Uninitiated Laity

The problem is, the poor unsuspecting, and uninitiated person in the pew is duped into thinking their Gnostic clergy-person is a Christian in the Biblical sense of the word. Nothing can be further than the truth. Most United Methodist pastors are Gnostics and are adept at teaching the Gnostic religion.

Gnostics can use Biblical terminology while meaning something significantly different. For example, the Gnostic catechism question on Gnosis.org asks:

7. Is God a Holy Trinity?

Yes. The Gnostic tradition has always affirmed the existence of God as the Holy Trinity consisting of Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.

I assure you what a Gnostic means by the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit is vastly different than what the True Trinitarian God has revealed about Himself in the Bible. Would you be surprised to learn that what most UMC pastor’s mean by the Trinty is significantly different as well? Remember this next time your pastor calls God Mother.

The average person in the pew could ask his pastor if he or she believes in the Scripture's infallibility, the Virgin Birth, the Resurrection of Jesus Christ, whether there is any other way of salvation outside of Jesus's death on the cross, and so on. I guarantee the Gnostic pastor will affirm every one of these doctrines and more. However, because the meaning of the words and theology is vastly different than sound Biblical theology, the person asking the question will never suspect. And unless you are aware of Gnosticism and how to bring it to the light, the Gnostic pastor will have you convinced they are just as Christian as you are. I assure you, they are not.

Signs of a Gnostic Clergy

These Gnostic clergy will occasionally slip or purposely push their uninitiated congregants toward Gnosticism with various "buzz words." Some of the signs of a Gnostic pastor are those who pray to Mother God, push for tolerance for same-sex marriage, insist on inclusive language when it comes to God, and much more. Once confronted, they will feign contrition, but it is only an act. They are taught to be patient because uninitiated laity have a long way to go to achieve enlightenment.

The Remnant

The truth is that there are very few Pastors like George Smith once was. What few are left are being driven out. I see many dedicated, trusting, and unsuspecting “laity” in the UMC. Many of this remnant have been in the UMC most, if not all of their lives. They are men and women who sincerely love Jesus Christ and were taught to respect their Elders and submit to their authority. Because of this, Gnostic pastors have walked unconfronted in most local churches. These faithful servants in the pew have given thousands of hours of service and tens of thousands of tithe money to their local church. Their money pays the salaries of Gnostic pastors to go on to further heights of enlightenment by paying for their “education.” These faithful people have been worshipping together for years in their local churches and they don’t want to lose their church. For these reasons, the sin perpetrated against these loyal members is all the more troubling.

Gnosticism - An Ancient Heresy

The early church had to combat Gnosticism in many forms. The epistles of John, for example, are masterpieces that fight against this age-old heresy. For instance, Gnosticism believes there is a little bit of good in evil and a little bit of evil in good. Sound like the Force of Starwars and Darth Vader? Perhaps you are thinking of the Ying and Yang symbol of eastern religions. Can anyone say Carl Jung? The idea that the Bible is both the infallible word of God but contains error is another form of this mixture of light and darkness. 

The apostle John speaks against this ancient heresy in 1 John 1:5-7:

This is the message we have heard from him and proclaim to you, that God is light, and in him is no darkness at all. If we say we have fellowship with him while we walk in darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth. But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus his Son cleanses us from all sin.

Words of Encouragement to UMC Members

If you are a United Methodist Church member, I have a few words of encouragement to give you.

First, you are not crazy. Your heart has been telling you for many years that something is significantly amiss in the UMC's pastoral leadership. Most pastors, district superintendents, and bishops are steeped in Gnosticism. But remember, the nature of Gnosticism is to hide in the darkness.

Second, the decline of your local church is not your fault. There has been a systematic Gnostic infiltration into the ranks of the clergy for decades. This infiltration is by design. The ultimate goal is not propagating the gospel of Jesus Christ, but the advancement of pseudo-Christian and pro-Gnostic values. This is not the first time Gnosticism has infiltrated the Church and, until Christ comes again, it is not the last.

Third, you are stronger than you think. God always calls us to be humble, but He never calls us to compromise. If you are in a United Methodist Church and recognize Gnosticism either in your pastor, district superintendent, or bishop, you are not out of line to speak out and confront the darkness. You should educate yourself more on this heresy, otherwise, you will be tricked or bullied into submission.

Forth, pray for your Gnostic pastor and witness to him or her. If they don't repent, demand a pastor who is thoroughly Christian. Educate yourself on the subtleties of Gnostic expressions amongst the clergy. Part of the beauty of Protestantism is our belief that we have a right to question the clergy and have a duty to do so. Members of the local church have been systematically trained to be passive, to not question authority. This time is over. 

Fifth, realize that if and when the United Methodist Church splits, your local church has a once in a lifetime opportunity to leave the apostate denomination with your buildings and land in tact. I doubt this opportunity will happen again. I would encourage all United Methodist local churches to pray and think long and hard about this opportunity. I will write more about this in the near future.

Sixth, be faithful to Jesus Christ and not a denomination. If the time comes to leave, wipe the dust off your feet, and don't look back. The judgment does indeed begin in the house of God. If the United Methodist Church's clergy do not repent and leave Gnosticism behind, God will judge them severly. 

Seventh, trust in the sovereignty of God. The Church is His Bride, and He will bring about His holiness and righteousness in Her. You are that Bride. Do all you can to remain faithful to Jesus Christ and His holy Word.

*I am well aware that there are true Christian theologians that may sound esoteric. I think of men such as Dr. Cornelius Van Til, Dr. Greg Bahnsen, and Dr. Peter Jones, for example. There is a significant difference, however. God gifts these types of theologians not only to understand esoteric Gnostic Theology, but they are blessed to refute them as well.

---

Note:

If any of my readers, especially those who are part of the United Methodist Church, would like to verify what I am saying or know more, I suggest reading or listening to Dr. Peter Jones. Dr. Jones holds an M. Div. from Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary, a Th. M. from Harvard Divinity School, and a Ph.D. from Princeton Theological Seminary. He taught New Testament at Westminster Seminary (Escondido, CA) until December 2002. He now directs truthXchange (www.truthxchange.com), a non-profit which emphasizes reaching college and university students who often encounter the "new spirituality" on their campuses.

A few quick resources may be beneficial such as, Gnosticism in the Mainline, Neopaganism Inside the Church, and A Gnostic Gospel should be enough to point you in the right direction.

The Death of the United Methodist Church: Part 2 - Quadrilateral Confusion

Introduction

One of the core methodological tenants of United Methodism is what is called the Wesleyan Quadrilateral. To outsiders, "quadrilateral" is a geometric term describing an object with four equal sides. In essence, this definition helps us understand the Wesleyan Quadrilateral.

If I had a nickel for every time someone mentioned the Quadrilateral throughout my seminary and pastoral days in the UMC, I would be a wealthy man. The Quadrilateral is at the heart of United Methodism understanding and interpretation. It's how Methodists "do" theology.

I don't know if it is accurate to say that the Quadrilateral is a UMC doctrine. As I mentioned earlier, it is more a method of “doing” theology. And, as the name of the denomination suggests, Methodists love methodology. 

What is the Quadrilateral?

United Methodist Church's (UMC) Book of Discipline 2016 edition states on page 103,

Wesley believed that the living core of the Christian faith was revealed in Scripture, illumined by tradition, vivified in personal experience, and confirmed by reason.

The official website of the UMC states:

The phrase which has relatively recently come into use to describe the principal factors that John Wesley believed illuminate the core of the Christian faith for the believer. Wesley did not formulate the succinct statement now commonly referred to as the Wesley Quadrilateral. Building on the Anglican theological tradition, Wesley added a fourth emphasis, experience. The resulting four components or "sides" of the Quadrilateral are (1) Scripture, (2) tradition, (3) reason, and (4) experience. For United Methodists, Scripture is considered the primary source and standard for Christian doctrine. Tradition is experience and the witness of development and growth of the faith through the past centuries and in many nations and cultures. Experience is the individual's understanding and appropriating of the faith in the light of his or her own life. Through reason the individual Christian brings to bear on the Christian faith discerning and cogent thought. These four elements taken together bring the individual Christian to a mature and fulfilling understanding of the Christian faith and the required response of worship and service. 

While UMC.org clearly states, "For United Methodists, Scripture is considered the primary source and standard for Christian doctrine," the reality is that practically speaking, the Scripture ends up taking a back seat to tradition, reason, and experience. If you don't believe me, read what the Book of Discipline states on page 102 and 103 of the 2016 edition:

But, even as they (United Methodists) were fully committed to the principles of religious tolerance and theological diversity, they were equally confident that there is a "marrow" of Christian truth that can be identified and that must be conserved. This living core, as they believed, stands revealed in Scripture, illuminated by tradition, vivified in personal and corporate experience, and confirmed by reason. They were very much aware, of course, that God's eternal Word never has been, nor can be, exhaustively expressed in any single forms of words." (emphasis mine)

In my article on United Methodist Corporate Pluralism, I showed how Theological Pluralism is nothing more than pagan relativism. While allowing for "religious tolerance and theological diversity" sounds innocent enough, this has lead to the decline of the UMC and the inevitable church split where "traditionalists" are politely but forcefully being kick out of the denomination. The truth is, Theological Pluralism is the most intolerant form of "theology" there is. 

What is Scripture?

It is the self-revelation of the one and only self-existing Triune God who has revealed Himself as the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. The self-authenticating Bible claims countless times to be the very words of the Christian God. It reveals God's plan of salvation through the Second Person of the Trinity, the God/Man Jesus Christ, who is the only mediator between God and man. The Bible is infallible and inerrant in the original autograph. The Holy Spirit has preserved the integrity of any copies so that any discrepancies are insignificant, easily detectable, and do not change what God intends to communicate to us.

Contrary to what the United Methodist Book of Discipline says, God’s Word does give an exhaustive revelation of everything we need for correct faith and practice. There is nothing more that God intended to communicate to us this side of eternity. Of course, no mere words can exhaustively convey the majesty and immensity of God, but even in heaven, God will not contradict what He has communicated in the Bible.

Why do I take so much time to outline the doctrine of Scripture? It is because, practically speaking, United Methodism slays the Bible on the altar of tradition, reason, and experience. I have seen this repeatedly in my time as a member and pastor in the United Methodist Church. 

Tradition

Tradition must be subject to Scripture. Jesus Christ was adamant that tradition was a dangerous method to use when understanding the word of God. In Matthew 15:1-20, Jesus condemned tradition. Tradition has no place or authority in Biblical Christianity. Why, because eventually, tradition will take the place of Scripture.

Reason

Reason must be subject to Scripture. I could write volumes on this. People think that faith and reason are mutually exclusive. Many Christians believe that faith takes over where reason leaves off. They believe faith and reason, while friendly towards one another, live in different spheres. As such, reason often trumps Scripture. 

The truth is that reason is not possible apart from the revelation of the Truinue Christian God as revealed in the Bible. Take away the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, and you cannot prove anything. Logic, reason, and science is not possible apart from the Trinity. Without the God of the Bible, there is no way to account for the immaterial laws of logic, the consistency of rationalism, and the cause and effect necessary to do science. All are founded upon none other than the self-existing Trinitarian God.

We know who God is, how He holds the universe together, and His holy character because of His self-revelation in the Bible. As the Bible says, "In Him we live and move and have our being." (Acts 17:28). It also claims that all things happen "according to the counsel of His goodwill." (Ephesians 1:11) These two verses alone account for logic, reason, and science, but there are many more besides these.

Experience

Finally, I consider experience to be the worst member of the Quadrilateral. It is interesting that John Wesley added this to the Anglican Church’s “trilateral.” Human beings have all kinds of bizarre experiences. I've heard people testify to astral projection, encounters with aliens, and visitations of angels, even visitation to heaven. People experience sexual desire for anything under the sun. However, for the very reason experience is so strong, human beings will try to explain or justify it to the best of their ability. Paul drove this point home in Galatians 1:8, for example, even if you experience an angel from heaven preaching another gospel, let that messenger be accursed. 

Conclusion

We have many traditions that are contrary to Scripture. Atheistic reasoning often presents itself as contrary to Scripture rather than seeing Scripture as necessary for reason. Experience is so powerful that people seek explanations outside of Scripture or contrary to Scripture.

The United Methodist Church is splitting and dying because it has compromised the authority of Scripture. While it claims Scripture is "primary," practically speaking, everything but Scripture has ultimate authority in the UMC.

As I was finishing my Masters in Divinity at Asbury Theological Seminary, I was going through the process of ordination in the New York Annual Conference. I remember one of the questions in my examination asking what I thought about the Quadrilateral. Even back in 1987, I said that I do not hold to it. I told them that according to the Bible, there is no other standard by which we determine or understand truth. Tradition, reason, and experience must be absolutely subject to the Bible. Needless to say, they denied my ordination. It doesn't take a lot of thought to know why.

Books, Lectures, and Debates I Read and Studied in 2020

Just to toot my own horn a little, here is a list of the books, lectures, and debates I read and studied in 2020. I take my calling seriously and do my best to obey 2 Timothy 2:15:

Study to show thyself approved unto God, a workman that need not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.

You can see where I've been concentrating my studies. I took the time to hyperlink all that I can in case the reader wants to check something out yourself.

Books:

Bible in Spanish (Nueva Biblia de las Americas) Por el único Dios trinitario

Bible in English (ESV) By the One and Only Trinitarian God

Institutes of the Christian Religion (4 Volumes) By John Calvin

Christianity and Liberalism By J. Gresham Machen

Real Dissent: A Libertarian Sets Fire to the Index Card of Allowable Opinion By Thomas E. Woods Jr.

Lies the Government Told You: Myth, Power, and Deception in American History By Andrew P. Napolitano

An Indigenous Peoples' History of the United States by Roxanne Dunbar-Ortiz

Permanent Record By Edward Snowden

A Walk in the Woods: Rediscovering America on the Appalachian Trail By Bill Bryson

Christianity and Barthianism By Cornelius Van Tin

Van Til, defender of the faith: An authorized biography By William White

Van Til’s Apologetics By Greg Bahnsen

Victory in Jesus: The Bright Hope of Postmillenialism By Greg Bahnsen, Robert Booth

Homosexuality: A Biblical View By Greg Bahnsen

By This Standard By Greg Bahnsen

Presuppositional Apologetics Stated and Defended By Greg L. Bahnsen, Joel McDurmon

Theonomy In Christian Ethics By Greg Bahnsen

The Inerrancy of the Autographa By Greg L. Bahnsen

Greg Bahnsen: The Man Atheists Feared the Most By Mike Robinson

The Lost Letters of Cornelius Van Til to C.S. Lewis By Jomo K. Johnson

The One and the Many: Studies in the Philosophy of Order and Ultimacy By R.J. Rushdoony

By What Standard? By R.J. Rushdoony

Law & Liberty By R.J. Rushdoony

Van Til and the Limits of Reason By R.J. Rushdoony

The American Indian By R.J. Rushdoony

The Great Evangelical Disaster By Francis A. Schaeffer

A Field Guide to the Ants of New England By Ellison, Aaron M., Gotelli Ph.D., Nicholas J., Farnsworth, Elizabeth J., Alpert Ph.D., Gary D.

Train Yourself on Blindfold Chess Make yourself a mental athlete By Sourav Sahay

The Psychology of Chess (The Psychology of Everything) By Fernand Gobet

Inspired Imperfection: How the Bible's Problems Enhance Its Divine Authority By Gregory A. Boyd

The Last of the Mohicans by James Fenimore Cooper

Earl Scruggs and the 5-String Banjo By Earl Scruggs

BlueGrass Banjo By Bill Keith

Audio/Visual:

Greg Bahnsen on Van Til’s Apologetics 4 Parts (YouTube)

Greg Bahsen’s Debate with Gordon Stein (YouTube) Excellent!!!

Greg Bahsen’s Debate with Edward Tabash (YouTube)

Greg Bahsen’s Debate with a Muslim and Jew (Covenant Media)

Greg Bahnsen Reasoning with Unbelievers (YouTube)

5 Problems for Unbelieving Worldviews by Dr Greg Bahnsen (YouTube)

Scott Oliphint - Understanding Cornelius Van Til (YouTube)

The Theonomy Debate Joel McDurmon vs. Jordan Hall

Cornelius Van Til on Karl Barth Part 1 and 2 1968 (YouTube)

The False god of Spinoza, Einstein, and Moore.

Recently, I was reading someone’s Facebook page. He shared a post by a woman named Jillene Moore. I will include the text of Moore’s post at the end of this blog post, so the reader can read what each of us wrote and make up your own mind. If you are at all interested in this subject, I encourage you to scroll down now and read it first. Or you can read it here.

Moore begins her post by saying,

When Einstein gave lectures at U.S. universities, the question students asked him most was: Do you believe in God? And he always answered: I believe in the God of Spinoza.

Baruch de Spinoza was a Dutch philosopher considered one of the great rationalists of 17th century philosophy, along with Descartes.

She then gives a fanciful depiction of Spinoza's god. She paints this god with an optimistic brush. Assuming Spinoza would approve, how does she know what this god would say? It is entirely arbitrary and total conjecture.

This god supposedly reveals itself through sunrises, landscapes, and in the eyes of loved ones. Why didn't she include maggot-infested carcasses, garbage dumps, and train wrecks?

Whether she realizes it or not, Moore borrows her optimism from the Christian worldview. Only in the self-attesting Bible do we have the objective revelation of the self-existing Trinitarian God. Without this, Einstein, Spinoza and Moore cannot account for why sunrises, landscapes, and the eyes of the loved ones are better revelations than carcasses, dumps, and train wrecks.

What does she mean when she writes that Spinoza's god "loves"? And why is "love" better than "hate"? Neither Moore nor Spinoza's god tell us. They assume it. Without an objective revelation of love, how can we even know what it is?

God reveals in 1 John 4:8 that "God is love." We cannot know what love is apart from the God of the Bible. It says in 1 John 3:16,

By this we know love, that Jesus Christ laid down his life for us, and we ought to lay down our lives for the brothers and sisters.

Without this objective revelation, any notions of love are purely speculative. Again, Moore borrows from the Christian worldview when she believes that Spinoza's god "loves" rather than "hates" us.

The god of Spinoza, as revealed by Moore, cares nothing for morality. She opines that Spinoza's god says,

I never told you there was anything wrong with you or that you were a sinner, or that your sexuality was a bad thing. Sex is a gift I have given you and with which you can express your love, your ecstasy, your joy. So don't blame me for everything that others made you believe."

Would she then say that it's okay to rape, cheat on your spouse, or that it's wrong to have sex with animals? Since this god never told you there was anything wrong with you or that you are a sinner, or that your sexuality was a bad thing, why not do as you please to whomever or whatever you want?

If you follow this line of thinking to its logical conclusion, you can't say that any form of sexual expression is wrong. And if you do, you once again have borrowed the objective revelation of the Trinitarian God of the Bible, which limits human sexual behavior and says that the violation of His Law is the very definition of sin. 1 John 3:4,

Whosoever commits sin transgresses also the law: for sin is the transgression of the law.

The god of Spinoza knows nothing of law and sin. This god cannot say any form of sexual behavior is wrong. As soon as you try to put limits upon human sexual behavior, you assume once again the morality of the God of the Bible. You can't have it both ways. As Jesus said in Matthew 6:24,

No one can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other.

It's either the self-existing God of the self-attesting Bible or the subjective, amoral, relativistic god of Spinoza.

Moore writes that you cannot know Spinoza's god through any "alleged sacred scripture." While there are many "alleged sacred" scriptures, there are none like the Bible. It is the only self-attesting Book that claims to be the sole and unique revelation of the one and only self-existing Trinitarian God, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. No other book claims that it is "infallible" and "God-breathed." (2 Timothy 3:16)

Only the God of the Bible provides the foundation for rationality, science, and morality. Apart from this self-attesting revelation, we cannot prove anything. How does Einstein, Spinoza or Moore know anything about their god? Again, maybe cesspools reveal more about this god rather than fluffy white clouds. Without an objective standard, it's all fairytales and wishes.

Any person that claims that anything can be proven presupposes the Christian worldview as revealed in the Bible. The very idea that something can be proven presuppose the God of the Bible exists; otherwise, we choose meaningless humanistic subjectivism that cannot prove anything. Who needs proof of anything in a God-empty universe?

We can’t have scientific proof apart from the Bible. The atheist Hume clearly demonstrated that we cannot assume the uniformity of nature. Science is impossible without this assumption. Science is only possible when we start with the God in whom

we live and move and have our being. Acts 17:28

Quite frankly, I am terrified of Spinoza's god. Imagine a universe where

"there's nothing to forgive."

This god makes us with

"passions, limitations, pleasures, feelings, needs, inconsistencies, and best of all, free will."

Since this god does not hold us accountable or threaten punishment for "being the way you are," why aren't we "absolutely free" to do whatever the hell we please to anyone we want and not ask forgiveness?

Imagine if humanity believed and acted on this presumption. What's to stop people from carrying out whatever atrocity they want? Even the idea of an "atrocity" must assume the Christian worldview rather than Spinoza's god. To agree with Spinoza's god, you cannot say anything is wrong. You have no moral basis for condemning the holocaust or Stalin's genocide of his people. Moore wants to paint Spinoza's god with a rainbow pallet, but this god paints with the pallet of blood.

Spinoza founded his god by his own subjective idealistic thinking. However, the Bible is the only objective revelation of the one and only God of the universe. Yet, even those who deny God continue to testify to His existence. Moore does so by assuming meaning in what she is saying, by assuming sunsets are better than carcasses, that enjoyment is better than misery, that the god of Spinoza is true, and the God of the Bible is false. She assumes she is saying something meaningful about a meaningless god.

For Spinoza's god, as depicted by Moore, there is no such thing as sin. In the Bible, God revealed that sin is real because He is holy, which means He is wholly set apart from sin. God defines sin, and no one else. The Bible reveals that God punishes sin. The glory and beauty of Biblical Christianity is that the Second Person of the Trinity became fully Human and died as a substitute for all who believe in Him. Believing in Him means that we repent of our sin and look to Jesus Christ for our salvation. The Bible says all who call upon Jesus Christ will be saved.

God then sends the Third Person of the Trinity to fill us and make us as pure and holy as Jesus Christ Himself. The Spirit writes the Law of God on our hearts so that we obey God not only outwardly but inwardly as well. God empowers us to love one another, not according to our subjective whims, but according to His Law given to us in the Bible. This is why it is wrong to rape, cheat on your spouse or have an affair with a goat.

The god of Spinoza speaking to us through Moore hasn't offered anything but meaningless sentimentality and permission to do whatever the hell we please. This god is the ultimate expression of narcissistic humanity.

The god of Einstein and Spinoza is nothing new. You can find it all throughout the Bible. Sometimes it is called Moloch, sometimes Baal, sometimes Astorath, and under many more names. In the end, we learn that this god's name is ultimately Satan.

The choice is always the same, both in Biblical times and in our times:

Now therefore fear the Lord and serve him in sincerity and in faithfulness. Put away the gods that your fathers served beyond the River and in Egypt, and serve the Lord. And if it is evil in your eyes to serve the Lord, choose this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your fathers served in the region beyond the River, or the gods of the Amorites in whose land you dwell. Joshua 24:14+15

Me? I have made my choice. I answer as Joshua did in the same verse,

But as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.

I'm happy to dialogue if you want to talk about what I've written.

Jillene Moore’s Facebook Post, November 19, 2020:

When Einstein gave lectures at U.S. universities, the question students asked him most was: Do you believe in God? And he always answered: I believe in the God of Spinoza.

Baruch de Spinoza was a Dutch philosopher considered one of the great rationalists of 17th century philosophy, along with Descartes.

According to Spinoza, God would say: “Stop praying. I want you to go out into the world and enjoy your life. I want you to sing, have fun and enjoy everything I've made for you.

“Stop going into those dark, cold temples that you built yourself and saying they are my house. My house is in the mountains, in the woods, rivers, lakes, beaches. That's where I live and there I express my love for you.

“Stop blaming me for your miserable life; I never told you there was anything wrong with you or that you were a sinner, or that your sexuality was a bad thing. Sex is a gift I have given you and with which you can express your love, your ecstasy, your joy. So don't blame me for everything that others made you believe.

“Stop reading alleged sacred scriptures that have nothing to do with me. If you can't read me in a sunrise, in a landscape, in the look of your friends, in your son's eyes—you will find me in no book!

“Stop asking me, ‘Will you tell me how to do my job?’ Stop being so scared of me. I do not judge you or criticize you, nor get angry or bothered. I am pure love.

“Stop asking for forgiveness, there's nothing to forgive. If I made you, I filled you with passions, limitations, pleasures, feelings, needs, inconsistencies, and best of all, free will. Why would I blame you if you respond to something I put in you? How could I punish you for being the way you are, if I'm the one who made you? Do you think I could create a place to burn all my children who behave badly for the rest of eternity? What kind of god would do that?

“Respect your peers, and don't give what you don't want for yourself. All I ask is that you pay attention in your life—alertness is your guide.

“My beloved, this life is not a test, not a step on the way, not a rehearsal, not a prelude to paradise. This life is the only thing here and now—and it is all you need.

“I have set you absolutely free, no prizes or punishments, no sins or virtues, no one carries a marker, no one keeps a record.
You are absolutely free to create in your life. It’s you who creates heaven or hell.

“Live as if there is nothing beyond this life, as if this is your only chance to enjoy, to love, to exist. Then you will have enjoyed the opportunity I gave you. And if there is an afterlife, rest assured that I won't ask if you behaved right or wrong, I'll ask, ‘Did you like it? Did you have fun? What did you enjoy the most? What did you learn?’

“Stop believing in me; believing is assuming, guessing, imagining. I don't want you to believe in me, I want you to believe in you. I want you to feel me in you when you kiss your beloved, when you tuck in your little girl, when you caress your dog, when you bathe in the sea.

“Stop praising me. What kind of egomaniac God do you think I am? I'm bored with being praised. I'm tired of being thanked. Feeling grateful? Prove it by taking care of yourself, your health, your relationships, the world. Express your joy! That's the way to praise me.

“Stop complicating things and repeating as a parrot what you've been taught about me. Why do you need more miracles? So many explanations?

“The only thing for sure is that you are here, that you are alive, that this world is full of wonders.”

The Executive Order You Need to Obey

Today is Thanksgiving. It is an official holiday where our government decrees that we as a nation are to give God thanks. Did you know that the word "holiday" comes from the old English words "holy day?" I read that George Washington made the first executive order by proclaiming day of Thanksgiving day on October 3, 1789. 

Exactly seventy-four years later, Abraham Lincoln issued an executive order proclaiming the last Thursday of November "as a day of Thanksgiving and Praise." Franklin D. Roosevelt, too, made an executive order making Thanksgiving a permanent national holy day. Ever since, the president of United States of America has affirmed and upheld this holy day of Thanksgiving.

That's right, the United States of America's government established, affirms, and promotes a national holy day where we as a nation are to set aside a holy day to give thanks to God. But doesn't this go against the First Amendment, the establishment of religion? Not at all. The government should acknowledge and give thanks to the One True Trinitarian God who revealed Himself in the Bible. The separation of Church and State does not meant the separation of State and God.

It makes no sense to give thanks to the universe or mother nature, or anything else. The Bible is clear that there are no gods but the One True God who has revealed Himself through Scripture. In His Holy Word, God demands that we give thanks. Here are a few examples:

Enter his gates with Thanksgiving, and his courts with praise! Give thanks to him; bless his name! Psalm 100:4

I will give the Lord the thanks due to his righteousness, and I will sing praise to the name of the Lord, the Most High. Psalm 7:17

And let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in one body. And be thankful. Colossians 3:15

That our nation is in crisis, there can be no doubt. Our whole world is changing rapidly, and I don't think it is for the better. Many people are hurting today. Even here in the United States, I see more and more people on the roadside with signs that say "Homeless and Hungry." I won’t even talk about all that’s happening around the election or the latest news about COVID-19.

What's going wrong? The answer is found in Romans 1:18-23 where it says it is because God is not honored, and people do not give Him thanks. Read for yourself:

For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who by their unrighteousness suppress the truth. For what can be known about God is plain to them, because God has shown it to them. For his invisible attributes, namely, his eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly perceived, ever since the creation of the world, in the things that have been made. So they are without excuse. For although they knew God, they did not honor him as God or give thanks to him, but they became futile in their thinking, and their foolish hearts were darkened. Claiming to be wise, they became fools, and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images resembling mortal man and birds and animals and creeping things. (Emphasis mine)

The rest of Romans 1 tells us what happens when we fail to honor God as God or give thanks to Him. If the rest of chapter one isn't a description of what is happening in our country and in our world, I don't know what is. 

Today, we have a choice as a nation. We can obey this executive order and give God thanks, or we can continue on in our foolish ways. I want to encourage you to take this day to seriously, honor Him, and give Him thanks. 

Bias, Presuppositions, and Intellectual Honesty

The Unbiased Illusion

I was listening to someone recently who claimed he wasn't biased. He believed he was objective and not influenced by anything but logic, reason, and science. He said this in the context of why he supported his particular candidate for president. He couldn't understand how people could be so stupid as to vote for the other candidate. 

Sound familiar?

His Facebook page is filled with memes that make fun of the other side. He has articles that definitively prove that his stance on whatever was correct. What was interesting was all the views he expressed were precisely in line with his party affiliation. He dismissed any challenges calling his view into question.

What bothered me was that he was completely unaware of his own biases. I do not find this person to be unique. Most people I encounter these days are heavily influenced by information that is anything but objective. Nowadays, "Fake news" is defined as whatever the opposition is reporting. 

Aids to Bias

This is a serious problem with the advancement of algorithms that track and feed us according to our online behavior. Documentaries such as Social Dilemma reveal the dark side of social media that provides people only the information they want to see.

The truth is everyone has a bias. We all have things that we presuppose to be true. A presupposition is something that is tacitly assumed to be valid from the outset. Everyone lives by faith, even the most ardent scientist. How can this be? The scientist believes many things before he or she even starts an experiment. Would you like some examples?

“A presupposition is something that is tacitly assumed to be valid from the outset.”

The Illusion of Objective Science

Science is based upon observation. By observation, I mean things that can be experienced by the senses, especially sight, though smell, taste, sound, and touch can and do play a significant role. Let's take sight, for example.

What exactly are you "seeing" when you see an object? Light hits the retina. The retina converts the information into electrical impulses that are sent along the optical nerve. The occipital lobe then converts the signals. The brain then takes this data and interprets it according to how the brain is hardwired and shaped through experience.  Once the information is "seen," the person has to analyze the information further to make sense of it.

Newborn babies or blind people who recently received their sight have to grow in their understanding of the sense data they are "seeing." In my example, we've come a long way from light hitting the retina to a person understanding the data. I haven't even touched on what exactly is light, and whether it is absorbed, reflected, or generated by objects in and of themselves. 

As you can see, something as familiar as "seeing" is based upon a multitude of presuppositions. How do we know we are "seeing" the object as it exists after the information has gone through processes in nature and our brain? This is just one assumption the scientist has to have to do science.

I could go on about the uniformity of nature and how the philosopher David Hume called the very foundations of science into question. On what basis do we know that events in the past will consistently perform the same way in the future? Hume says we don't know. Science has to assume that they do; otherwise, how can we do science? In other words, the scientist has to accept a set of presuppositions to do science. So even the scientist lives by faith. And if this is true of the revered scientist, how much more for the rest of us mortals.

I started this post talking about a person who believed he was objective in all his views. If something as precise as science has presuppositions, think about how many assumptions someone must have to hold a particular political viewpoint. Indeed, everyone truly lives by faith. Will a person be honest about their presuppositions or be intellectually dishonest by denying he has any?

There is only one way out of this labyrinth. It is to be intentional and honest about your presupposition. One of the most critical tasks we have as human beings is to dis-cover our presuppositional bias. What do you hold to be true? What do you take for granted to assert that any of your views are correct? Have you ever examined your presuppositional assumptions? 

How To Discover Your Presuppositions

The late Christian apologist Ravi Zacharias boils down the most critical questions to origin, meaning, morality, and destiny. How you answer these questions will help you identify your bias, presuppositions, and what you take for granted in your thinking.

Origins deal with the question of from where do we come? Some say matter always existed. Others say that God created us. Did we evolve over millions of years? Or were we created by God as talked about in the book of Genesis? What about the Big Bang? How you answer the question of origins will help determine the presuppositions you hold to make sense out of life. As you answer this question, you can discover why you think the way you do.

The next question that will help you identify your presuppositional foundation is the question of meaning. What is the meaning of life? Is it to get rich, help others, serve God, win, and propagate children? Perhaps you do not believe there is any ultimate meaning in life. That in itself is a presupposition by which you interpret reality, assuming there is any such thing as "reality." Perhaps "life is but a dream" as suggested in the childhood song, Row Row Row Your Boat.

Another question that will help you identify your assumptions of life is the question of morality. What is right, and what is wrong? What standard do you use to determine either one? That standard is your presupposition. Some use the Bible; others use intuition; still, others say that "might makes right." There are many ways to answer this question. How you determine what is moral and immoral will help you understand yourself better. 

The last question that Ravi Zacharias identifies is the question of destiny. This question completes the loop. Where did we come from is the question of origins. What is the meaning of life is the question of truth. What is right and wrong is the question of morality. Destiny answers the question of where we are headed. Do you think we are continually in the evolutionary process of getting better? Do you believe there are heaven and hell? Do you think we are, as the song says, "Dust in the Wind," that we are headed anywhere, that we are molecules falling through space with no final destination? 

These questions not only help you identify your presuppositional basis, but they also help predict how you will think on a multitude of issues. Those who assume God's existence, that we are created in the image of God, and that life begins with conception will be against abortion. Others who believe that human happiness is the ultimate meaning of life may think that a woman's right to choose is more important than giving up a career to raise a child. Many presuppositional factors will weigh in on how you answer abortion or any other problem for that matter.

Being Honest

The point of this post is to call people to intellectual honesty concerning their presuppositions. It is dishonest to say that you have no bias, that all your views are based on science, that you are correct in everything, or that you see everything clearly and everyone else is just wrong. I implore you to have the intellectual decency to admit that you have a bias just like everyone else. I challenge you to take time to think through what your presuppositional foundation is. 

There are benefits to this intellectual honesty. You will be able to evaluate news sources better. It's not enough to have someone else tell you something is "Fake news." Imagine not only being able to spot where a news story is factually wrong, but also to understand the news source's bias. For example, a liberal feminist will report the news differently from a fundamentalist Christian or a conservative Trump supporter. Why?

Intentional Presuppositional Honesty

I have intentionally chosen my presuppositional basis. What is it? I hold that the Bible is the only authoritative standard to answer origin, meaning, morality, and destiny. Biblical authors claim their message to be from God around 1,900 times. The Bible declares "God said" or "Thus saith the Lord" over 4,000 times. The Bible is the only self-attesting book in existence. There is no way around its claim to be the word of God. Isn't this circular reasoning? Or course it is. But it is intellectually honest reasoning. God Himself attests that the Bible is His word. 

An intellectually honest person will admit that all other theories or philosophies beg the question as well. For science, truth is only that which you can empirically verify. Of course, that statement itself cannot be empirically verified, thereby showing that science's very foundation is self-begging and self-defeating. To believe that government or popular vote determines truth is untenable, especially considering that governments and populations have committed horrible atrocities in the past. How would we even know that an event is an atrocity unless we had a standard outside of ourselves to determine that it is atrocious or not? This kind of reasoning is circular as well. “We know something is an atrocity because we know it is wrong.”

It is impossible to account for logic, reason, or science apart from God as He revealed Himself in the Bible. Without Him, you cannot prove anything. Otherwise, we are left in a meaningless universe devoid of meaning. We are "Dust in the Wind," and dust cannot account for anything, not even itself. 

The Bible reveals that God is the only self-existing Being who exists in Unity and Complexity. He reveals Himself as the Author of life (origins), the Definer of the meaning of life (meaning), the Law Giver (morality), and the Giver of eternal life (destiny). These questions cannot be adequately answered apart from Scripture.

Apart from Scripture, there is no way we can know our origins. If we are naked apes that evolved from stardust, there is no way to account for meaning. Molecules in motion have no sense. When morality is not rooted in God's character, it is subject to the whims of humanity, and those whims turn out bloody, as history repeatedly shows. The Bible tells us where we are headed, either to heaven or to hell.

Paul says in Colossians 2:8 that all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge are found in Jesus Christ. In Him is where intellectual honesty starts and where it ends. I choose Him as my presupposition foundation. How about you?

Time for a Real Change

“Do not be deceived: God is not mocked, for whatever one sows, that will he also reap. Galatians 6:7”

You may not like this verse. You may not believe it. You may ignore it. Truth is truth and doesn't change just because the majority of people think it is not so. 

I have seen the truth of this verse in my life. I thought I could do sinful things and that I was "covered" from the consequences because I would confess my sin and because I was already saved.

But God has built His character into the universe, especially in the realm of humanity.

We were created by God, as was all of creation. Because we were created by God, His Law permeates all of creation. 

The Bible is not talking about "god" in some generic way. When the Bible speaks about God, it is testifying to the One God who exists in three Persons; Father, Son, and the Holy Spirit.

“Holy, holy, holy, is the Lord God Almighty, who was and is and is to come. Revelation 4:8”

And He is Holy. Not only is He holy, but He is also praised as being holy three times, which means He is the Ultimate Holy One.

And as the Holy One, He stands forever against sin.

Are you mocking God by living or doing things that He says are wrong? To do so is to make fun of God. It says that you know better than He does. You can think that all you want, but that won't change who God is and what He requires us.

The Bible defines sin as "the transgression of God's Law." ( 1 John 3:4). Whether you want to talk about the summary of the Law as loving God or loving your neighbor or you want to talk about the revelation of His Law in the 10 Commandments or if you wish to speak about the application of that Law all throughout the Scriptures, the Law is the Law from the beginning to the end and all the ways it is expressed in the Bible.

The truth is we all have broken God's Law, "for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God." (Romans 3:23) 

And God says, "the wages of sin is death." (Romans 6:23) Death in this context means separation from God. The ultimate death, we are told, is eternal separation from God. 

As it says in Isaiah 59:2, "your iniquities have made a separation between you and your God."

What's to be done? The good news of the Bible is that God has made a Way for sinners to be made right with Him. This Way is Jesus Christ. God the Father gave Jesus His Son to die in your place as a substitute. The wages of sin are indeed, death. The question is, who will die this death?

Jesus Christ has already died as God's substitutionary sacrifice. In whose place did He die? He died for all who trust in Him for salvation. Is that you? That is up to you. You have the responsibility to turn from your sin and trust in Jesus. 

What does that mean? It means to stop living in denial about the seriousness of your sin. Don't let others tell you that your sin is not sin. Don't let society deceive you into believing that you are a "good person." Don't let the media lull you into complacency. Don't let your lifestyle's comfort and convenience stop you from running from your sin into the arms of Jesus Christ. 

Leaving your sin can and will be difficult. But what does that matter when you are given the promise of eternal life in Christ?

To come to Christ means to leave your sin. It means to put your sinful heart into His hands and to leave your sinful life. It means to trust that His substitutionary sacrifice is all that you need to have your sins forgiven.

And when you have faith in Christ, God promises that He will forgive you, not only of your sinful heart, but all sin that you have committed in thought, word, and deed.

God also promises that He will fill you with the Holy Spirit. This means that God will empower your heart, soul, mind, and body. He will dwell in and through you to help you do the things He requires of you. The Spirit of God will continue to cleanse you from all sin on a daily bases. In Jesus Christ, you are made right with God, and through the Spirit of Christ, you are made holy in God's eyes.

Will it be difficult to stop living the sinful lifestyle you are living now? Of course, it will be. But God promises blessing on all who walk in His ways. (Psalm 1) This does not mean that God will make you wealthy or famous or prosper you according to the world's standard. It does mean that He will give you a new heart, a new outlook on life, a new purpose, and a new mission. 

If you don't turn away from your sin, the original verse I started with will hold true, "God is not mocked, for whatever one sows, that will he also reap." It may not happen today. It may not happen next week or next year. In fact, you may think you are living your best life, but someday it will all come crashing down. And when it does, I hope my words will come to your mind. I pray you will see the destruction of your life, peace, comfort, and blessing of God.

It will be a blessing because God loves you so much that He would strip you naked in this life to clothe you with His best garments for all of eternity. 

Why wait for everything to come crashing down? Leave your sin and turn to Christ today. You know what is in your life that He is not pleased with. He is pressing you at this moment on that very thing. Shut out every other voice but God's voice and listen, and after listening, do what He says. 

First, acknowledge your sinfulness. Next, trust in Jesus Christ. By faith, hold on to the truth that God, in Christ, completely forgives you. Last, be filled with the Holy Spirit and make whatever changes you need to make in your life to get right with Him.

I am here if you want or need someone to help you walk through this process. Otherwise, heed these words. However you respond, it will make all the difference in your life.

Amen

Patterson’s 10 Rules of Biblical Interpretation or Why You are Having Trouble Understanding the Bible

Rule #1: You don’t interpret the Bible, the Bible interprets you.

Rule #2: If there is something you read in the Bible that you don’t agree with, you must change, not the Bible.

Rule #3: There is only one meaning to Scripture that matters and that is God’s intended meaning. Our job is to find out what He meant to communicate. Anything else is superfluous and a waste of time.

Rule #4: You cannot truly understand the Bible apart from the Holy Spirit, yet anyone can understand what the Bible says.

Rule #5: While there is only one meaning to Scripture, there are as many applications as there are people.

Rule #6: First obey what you read in Scripture, then you will understand. Obeying the clear parts of Scripture prepares you to understand the difficult passages.

Rule #7: The Bible is the only self-attesting Book that is the self-revelation of the self-existing triune God; Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Jesus Christ is the mediator between God and man and many Scriptures speak of Him. Yet, the Bible also reveals the Unity of God, the Fatherhood of God, and that God is the Holy Spirit. It is a mistake to interpret the Bible as only revealing or speaking about the Second Person of the Trinity.

Rule #8: God uses different literary devices and genres. If you don’t understand this, you will remain confused as to what the meaning is.

Rule #9: There is always a structure in writing. Try to understand the skeleton of how a passage is put together and you then will grasp the whole.

Rule #10: The Bible is not made up of two Books, one old and one new, nor is it 66 Books. It is One Book that reveals all that we need for faith and practice. If you read it as two Books or 66 Books, you will not understand it. And just as you can’t understand a book by reading one sentence or one chapter, so you will not understand the Scriptures as you should unless and until you read it in its entirety.

COVID-19 AND PRIVILEGE

I translated this commentary I found on the Facebook feed of a friend of mine in Mexico. It really hit me as I read it and saw the picture of the poor Mexican family crammed in a shack. As I traveled throughout Mexico, I saw countless shabby shanties in the country and neighborhoods filled with cinderblock "houses" strewn around the cities. More than you can imagine.

One thought that harasses me as contemplate this article is how racist the virus is, perhaps how racist we all are. I stay at home with my wife in a beautiful apartment in West Hartford, Connecticut debating with others on our computers while millions, perhaps billions of poor people crowd in tiny rooms, many in sweltering climates south of the border, living in fear of the virus, of hunger, of the marauding military, bullying people to stay home.

I honestly don't know what to think as I, and most of my friends, read this in the comfort of our quarantine.

I don’t have the link. If anyone has it, please let me know so I can point to it. Here's the article.

****

Stay at Home

That’s the premise, the slogan.

Stay at home, says the sports star hugging his wife while his children run around the 1200 square foot home. Stay at home, says the politician, while he chooses which of his properties he will spend the quarantine on.

People don't understand how serious the virus is, says someone else, as they unload the crate of fruit and vegetables he bought online and paid for with his card at his door. And what about those who stocked their groceries in the big stores to get through the quarantine.

But on the fringes are the invisible neighborhoods, the 12x12 "houses", made of sheet metal and cardboard, where the cold is COLD and the heat unbearable. What about those houses filled with families where what they earned yesterday is today's food, where, if you didn't earn yesterday, there is no food today, where the safety measures are mandated but are impossible to comply? They are afraid of the virus too but don’t have the ability to protect themselves!

They just try to live, to be safe, and survive day by day.

The virus doesn't make us equal. The virus highlights, even more, the intolerance, the apathy with which the privileged sector of this society looks at those who have less.

-Stay at home to take care of us all: those who can’t are accused and questioned.

Outside the virus, inside the hunger on the faces of their children filled with disappointment, uncertainty, hopelessness.

Do we really take care of each other?

And what about the refugees outside countries waiting for asylum?

No, we're not in the same boat. We are in the same sea...
some on a luxury yacht, some in a fancy boat, while others have only life jackets or can only try to swim to survive!

I wonder if, in the end, we will learn anything new and actually do something positive to change what is happening in the world beyond the virus.

Quédate En Casa
Es la premisa, el eslogan.
Quédate en casa, dice el futbolista, abrazado a su esposa mientras sus hijos corren por los 400 metros cuadrados de su hogar.
Quédate en casa, dice el político, mientras elige en cuál de sus propiedades pasará la cuarentena.
La gente no entiende, dice alguien más, mientras descargan en su puerta el cajón de fruta y verdura que compró online y pagó con su tarjeta.
Y qué decir de aquellos que surtieron sus despensas en las grandes tiendas para pasar la cuarentena.
Pero al margen, los barrios invisibles las "casas" 4x4, de chapa y cartón, donde el frío es FRÍO y el calor abraza y marea.
Esas casas llenas de familias, donde lo que ganaste ayer, es la comida de hoy.
Donde, si no ganaste ayer, no hay comida hoy.
Donde se conocen las medidas sanitarias, pero es imposible cumplirlas.
¡Tienen miedo, pero sin medios!
Sólo se intenta vivir, resistir, sobrevivir día a día.

El virus no nos hace iguales.
El virus pone en evidencia, aún más, la intolerancia, la apatía con que el sector privilegiado de esta sociedad mira a los que menos tienen.

-Quédate en tu casa, para cuidarnos entre todos: Se los acusa e interpela.

Afuera el virus, adentro el hambre...las caras de sus hijos, la decepción, la incertidumbre, la desesperanza.

¿Realmente nos cuidamos entre todos?

Y los refugiados fuera de países esperando asilo?

No, no estamos en el mismo barco,
Estamos en el mismo mar...
Unos en yate, otros en lancha, otros en salvavidas y otros nadando con ¡todas sus fuerzas! .

Me pregunto si al final tendremos un aprendizaje y haremos algo positivo para cambiar lo que se está haciendo mal en el mundo.

The Origen of Systemic Racism

𝑃𝑟𝑜𝑙𝑜𝑔𝑢𝑒:

𝐹𝑟𝑜𝑚 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑜𝑢𝑡𝑠𝑒𝑡 𝑜𝑓 𝑡ℎ𝑖𝑠 𝑝𝑜𝑠𝑡, 𝐼 𝑤𝑎𝑛𝑡 𝑡𝑜 𝑏𝑒 𝑐𝑟𝑦𝑠𝑡𝑎𝑙 𝑐𝑙𝑒𝑎𝑟 𝑡ℎ𝑎𝑡 𝐼 𝑎𝑓𝑓𝑖𝑟𝑚 𝑤ℎ𝑎𝑡 𝑃𝑎𝑢𝑙 𝑤𝑟𝑜𝑡𝑒 𝑖𝑛 𝐴𝑐𝑡𝑠 17:26, "𝐺𝑜𝑑 ℎ𝑎𝑠 𝑚𝑎𝑑𝑒 𝑜𝑓 𝑜𝑛𝑒 𝑏𝑙𝑜𝑜𝑑 𝑎𝑙𝑙 𝑝𝑒𝑜𝑝𝑙𝑒𝑠 𝑜𝑓 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑒𝑎𝑟𝑡ℎ." 𝑇ℎ𝑒 𝐺𝑟𝑒𝑒𝑘 𝑤𝑜𝑟𝑑 𝑓𝑜𝑟 "𝑏𝑙𝑜𝑜𝑑" 𝑖𝑠 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑤𝑜𝑟𝑑 "ἔθνος" (𝑒𝑡ℎ𝑛𝑜𝑠). 𝐼𝑡 𝑖𝑠 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑟𝑜𝑜𝑡 𝑜𝑓 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑤𝑜𝑟𝑑 "𝑒𝑡ℎ𝑛𝑖𝑐," 𝑤ℎ𝑖𝑐ℎ 𝑐𝑎𝑛 𝑚𝑒𝑎𝑛 "𝑟𝑎𝑐𝑒," "𝑝𝑒𝑜𝑝𝑙𝑒," 𝑜𝑟 "𝑛𝑎𝑡𝑖𝑜𝑛." 𝐼 𝑎𝑙𝑠𝑜 𝑎𝑓𝑓𝑖𝑟𝑚 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑐𝑟𝑒𝑎𝑡𝑖𝑜𝑛 𝑎𝑐𝑐𝑜𝑢𝑛𝑡 𝑖𝑛 𝐺𝑒𝑛𝑒𝑠𝑖𝑠. 𝐼 𝑏𝑒𝑙𝑖𝑒𝑣𝑒 𝑤𝑒 𝑎𝑟𝑒 𝑎𝑙𝑙 𝑑𝑒𝑠𝑐𝑒𝑛𝑑𝑒𝑑 𝑓𝑟𝑜𝑚 𝐴𝑑𝑎𝑚 𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝐸𝑣𝑒. 𝐴𝑠 𝑎 𝐶ℎ𝑟𝑖𝑠𝑡𝑖𝑎𝑛, 𝐼 𝑎𝑓𝑓𝑖𝑟𝑚 𝑡ℎ𝑎𝑡 𝑎𝑙𝑙 ℎ𝑢𝑚𝑎𝑛 𝑏𝑒𝑖𝑛𝑔𝑠 𝑎𝑟𝑒 𝑐𝑟𝑒𝑎𝑡𝑒𝑑 𝑖𝑛 𝐺𝑜𝑑'𝑠 𝑖𝑚𝑎𝑔𝑒 𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝑡ℎ𝑒𝑟𝑒𝑏𝑦 ℎ𝑎𝑣𝑒 𝑖𝑛𝑓𝑖𝑛𝑖𝑡𝑒 𝑣𝑎𝑙𝑢𝑒. 𝐼 𝑎𝑙𝑠𝑜 𝑎𝑓𝑓𝑖𝑟𝑚 𝑡ℎ𝑎𝑡 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑝𝑟𝑜𝑏𝑙𝑒𝑚𝑠 𝑤𝑒 𝑓𝑎𝑐𝑒 𝑡𝑜𝑑𝑎𝑦 ℎ𝑎𝑠 𝑖𝑡𝑠 𝑟𝑜𝑜𝑡 𝑖𝑛 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑓𝑎𝑙𝑙𝑒𝑛 𝑛𝑎𝑡𝑢𝑟𝑒 𝑜𝑓 ℎ𝑢𝑚𝑎𝑛𝑖𝑡𝑦, 𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝑐𝑎𝑛 𝑏𝑒 𝑟𝑒𝑑𝑒𝑒𝑚𝑒𝑑 𝑜𝑛𝑙𝑦 𝑡ℎ𝑟𝑜𝑢𝑔ℎ 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑔𝑜𝑠𝑝𝑒𝑙 𝑜𝑓 𝐽𝑒𝑠𝑢𝑠 𝐶ℎ𝑟𝑖𝑠𝑡 𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑒𝑠𝑡𝑎𝑏𝑙𝑖𝑠ℎ𝑚𝑒𝑛𝑡 𝑜𝑓 𝐺𝑜𝑑'𝑠 𝑙𝑎𝑤.

I have been thinking a lot about racism. As a Bible-believing Christian, I have no problem with the toppling of idols and graven images or exposing the racist hypocrisy of many of our ancestors and founding "fathers." The United States was built upon the ungodly domination, subjugation, and extermination of a nation that pre-existed long before my Pilgrim ancestors arrived on the scene, not to mention slavery. And paintings of Jesus? Well, I never liked them, especially white Jesus, that hippy type looking dude with long hair and a beard who looks more like the guy on a Zig Zag blunt wrap package than anyone else.

However, I'm still waiting for modern social iconoclasts to focus on one of the biggest racists idols in history. This guy is responsible for more racist attitudes than anyone else I know. Of course, the man I am referring to is Charles Darwin, you know, that guy who coined the phrase "survival of the fittest"?

I was thoroughly indoctrinated by his racist view in my biology class in high school. I remember looking at the amoeba-to-man illustration in the text, wondering where I, as a white-boy, fit into the scheme of things. I wasn't taught that all human beings, regardless of the color of their skin, were made in the image of God. No, I was taught that human beings of various races are just one step in a long line of evolutionary transition. It wasn't said, but implicitly, my classmates and I were being indoctrinated with the racist belief that white people were further along in the evolutionary process than black and brown-skinned people.

Along with evolution, I was taught the "scientific" principle of the "survival of the fittest." It was more than just the process of natural selection. Natural selection made sense and is a scientific fact. We can observe it and repeat it. What we cannot observe and repeat are the supposed evolutionary leaps that happened over millions of years. It wasn't until I studied logic that I saw the inherent flaw of evolution. We start with a single-cell creature that, through natural selection, end up a human being. Going from simplicity to complexity, using the means of atrophy is absurdity.

I was taught that biologically some entities are further along on the evolutionary process than others and, as such, dominate the lower developed entities because of a superiority of intellect and adaptability. In other words, those who hold power deserve to be on top because of their superior biological evolution. It's all about "survival of the fittest." And if you are superior, you must not only grab the power, you must consciously and intentionally dominate and subjugate anything inferior. If you lose control, it is your own fault. Perhaps you weren't as "fit" as you thought you were. Wealthy white Europeans loved Darwin. He gave them a "scientific" justification for imperialism and Manifest Destiny.

So, I'm waiting for the Darwin god to fall. I'm waiting for those heinous symbols of racism, the Darwin fish with legs, to be ripped off of car bumpers and thrown into the gutter. I'm waiting for those fighting against systemic racism to direct their furor against our governmental socialist indoctrination centers that disseminate this inherent racist propaganda to innocent, vulnerable, and unsuspecting children. And I'm hoping and praying those fighting against racism will submit to the Lordship of Jesus Christ and the Law of God and fight for the only way racism, and all sin for that matter, can and will be overthrown. "Even so, come Lord Jesus!"

God’s Law or Humanistic Law: Which Do Prefer?

Current estimates on the number of Federal laws in America range anywhere between 15,000 and 50,000. Nobody knows for sure. It is said the average American breaks the law at least 3 times per day.

God's Law has only 10 Laws that are clear, easily understood, and reasonable.

1. Thou shalt have no other gods before me
2. Honor thy father and thy mother
3. Remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy
4. Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image
5. Thou shalt not take the name of the Lord thy God in vain
6. Thou shalt not kill
7. Thou shalt not commit adultery
8. Thou shalt not steal
9. Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbor
10. Thou shalt not covet

In fact, Jesus summarized these 10 Laws into Two:

Matthew 22:36-40

𝐺𝑜𝑑'𝑠 𝐿𝑎𝑤 𝑣𝑠. 𝐻𝑢𝑚𝑎𝑛𝑖𝑠𝑡𝑖𝑐 𝐿𝑎𝑤 (𝐿𝑎𝑤𝑠 𝑀𝑎𝑑𝑒 𝑈𝑝 𝐵𝑦 𝐺𝑜𝑣𝑒𝑟𝑛𝑚𝑒𝑛𝑡): 𝑊ℎ𝑖𝑐ℎ 𝐿𝑎𝑤 “𝑇𝑒𝑎𝑐ℎ𝑒𝑟, 𝑤ℎ𝑖𝑐ℎ 𝑖𝑠 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑔𝑟𝑒𝑎𝑡 𝑐𝑜𝑚𝑚𝑎𝑛𝑑𝑚𝑒𝑛𝑡 𝑖𝑛 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝐿𝑎𝑤?” 𝐴𝑛𝑑 ℎ𝑒 𝑠𝑎𝑖𝑑 𝑡𝑜 ℎ𝑖𝑚, “𝑌𝑜𝑢 𝑠ℎ𝑎𝑙𝑙 𝑙𝑜𝑣𝑒 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝐿𝑜𝑟𝑑 𝑦𝑜𝑢𝑟 𝐺𝑜𝑑 𝑤𝑖𝑡ℎ 𝑎𝑙𝑙 𝑦𝑜𝑢𝑟 ℎ𝑒𝑎𝑟𝑡 𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝑤𝑖𝑡ℎ 𝑎𝑙𝑙 𝑦𝑜𝑢𝑟 𝑠𝑜𝑢𝑙 𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝑤𝑖𝑡ℎ 𝑎𝑙𝑙 𝑦𝑜𝑢𝑟 𝑚𝑖𝑛𝑑. 𝑇ℎ𝑖𝑠 𝑖𝑠 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑔𝑟𝑒𝑎𝑡 𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝑓𝑖𝑟𝑠𝑡 𝑐𝑜𝑚𝑚𝑎𝑛𝑑𝑚𝑒𝑛𝑡. 𝐴𝑛𝑑 𝑎 𝑠𝑒𝑐𝑜𝑛𝑑 𝑖𝑠 𝑙𝑖𝑘𝑒 𝑖𝑡: 𝑌𝑜𝑢 𝑠ℎ𝑎𝑙𝑙 𝑙𝑜𝑣𝑒 𝑦𝑜𝑢𝑟 𝑛𝑒𝑖𝑔ℎ𝑏𝑜𝑟 𝑎𝑠 𝑦𝑜𝑢𝑟𝑠𝑒𝑙𝑓. 𝑂𝑛 𝑡ℎ𝑒𝑠𝑒 𝑡𝑤𝑜 𝑐𝑜𝑚𝑚𝑎𝑛𝑑𝑚𝑒𝑛𝑡𝑠 𝑑𝑒𝑝𝑒𝑛𝑑 𝑎𝑙𝑙 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝐿𝑎𝑤 𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑃𝑟𝑜𝑝ℎ𝑒𝑡𝑠."

Sadly, the USA is transitioning from the rule of law to Public Policy. As this happens, more and more people will become snitches, tattletales, and general pain the asses as they seek to police others on whatever the current Public Policy happens to be.

A Reminder to the Remnant

Working to change individual and corporate sin without first addressing the root problem of original sin is like trying to purify the ocean by pouring fresh water into it. This is why the work and mission of the Church are absolutely vital. It is only through faith in the atonement of Jesus Christ that the human heart is transformed from being “desperately wicked” (Jeremiah 17:9) to being “a pure heart” (Psalm 51:1). This is why the work of the Church 𝘪𝘴 𝘦𝘴𝘴𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘪𝘢𝘭 for our nation to be changed. It is through worship and the preaching of the gospel (Romans 10:17) that hearts will be transformed.

The Kingdom of God is not an abstract concept. His Kingdom comes and His will is done as individuals and then nations submit themselves to the Kingship of Jesus our Lord. Calling individuals and nations to this is the essential work of the Church.

Why Christians Don’t Think Biblically

I wonder how many Christians believe the Bible to the most important book ever written, yet haven't taken the time to read it, either in part or in whole, and also do not make the Bible part of their daily study. Is it any wonder most Christians do not think Biblically?

Para Carlos

Mi amigo Carlos Unda me hizo una pregunta:

"Una pregunta y es seria. Porque la Biblia fue escrita hace cientos de años en un lugar que ni conosco en una lengua que ni entiendo y porque necesito que otros seres humanos me la traduzcan, me la expliquen y me la interpreten, seria mas fácil para dios mandarnos la biblia ya traducida y en forma directa sin intermediarios? Bueno eso es lo que yo pienso con todo respeto."

Es una pregunta justa y excelente. Gracias por preguntarme. Todavía estoy aprendiendo español, así que perdone mis errores gramaticales.

De hecho la Biblia fue escrita hace miles de años y muchos lugares no conocemos. Es muy difícil entender las linguas de la Biblia original pero no es imposible. Podemos comunicar en español porque me tomé el tiempo para aprenderlo. He aprendido y estudiado Hebreo y Griego para entender la Biblia mejor. Pero hay muchas herramientas disponible para estudiar la Biblia con ti mismo. Puedes comprobar las traducciones por ti mismo para ver si son precisas o no si quieres. También puedes comparar muchas traducciones en español para tener una idea del significado original Ambos es trabajo pero es posible pero vale la pena.

Pero en mi opinion no es necesario tener otros para te la interpreten. Aquí está la principal diferencia entre los protestantes y los católicos. Hay un dicho para los protestantes, Solo Scriptura. En otras palabras no necesitamos la Papa o la tradición de la iglesia para leer, entender o interpretar la Biblia. Otros pueden ayudarnos pero tenemos la derecha conocer la Biblia sin intermediarios.

Además, en muchas denominaciones protestantes la gente puede cuestionar a sus pastores y destituirlos de sus cargos si el pastor enseña doctrinas que no son bíblicas y que son obviamente un error. Es muy parecido con el gobierno civil. Tenemos el derecho de remover a los tiranos de sus cargos e incluso derrocar al gobierno si es necesario.

No sé exactamente por qué Dios escribió la biblia de la manera en que lo hizo pero tengo ideas de mi mismo. En esencia la Biblia es una historia de amor. En última instancia es un relato de cómo Dios hizo un camino para salvar a la humanidad perdida convirtiéndose él mismo en un ser humano en Jesucristo y tomando nuestro pecado sobre sí mismo para que podamos convertirnos en los hijos e hijas de Dios. Es una historia de un Hombre inocente siendo castigado en lugar de personas culpables.

Tel vez la pregunta real es no sería más fácil para Dios revelarse directamente a todos las personas todo el tiempo? Por qué usar un libro?

En mi opinión, eso nos quitaría la capacidad y el derecho a elegir. ¿Quién quiere ser forzado a creer en Dios? Hay suficiente evidencia de Dios, pero también está oculta. Se necesita fe. Dios se revelará a cualquiera que lo busque, pero se mostrará en formas que aún tienen fe. ¿Sé que Dios existe al 100% y que la Biblia es verdadera? Lo sé porque si el Dios Trino de la Biblia no existe, nada tiene sentido. Quitar el Dios como se reveló en la Biblia y no hay base para la ciencia, la razón o la moral.

Con respeto, esa es mi respuesta.