In The News: Death of Kim Jong Il

Kim Jong Il, the ruthless dictator of North Korea, has died.  His young son is now at the helm, and only time will tell as to what kind of leader he will be.  If he is anything like his father, then massacres will continue.  Let us pray for our Christian brethren in North Korea, for they are especially persecuted in their attempts to bring the gospel into a dark world.

In the New: Death of Christopher Hitchens

Prominent evolutionist Christopher Hitchens has died. He was an ardent anti-Christian, yet he was still a man made in the image of God.  Though we do not endorse his message, we do mourn his unrepentant heart, unless there was a recent unknown conversion to Christ.  Today is the day of salvation, and no man knows the number of his days.  Let each man take heed, for our days our numbered as well.

It is always a sad commentary to see great intellect used for the ills of an evolutionary worldview, and Hitchens had a passion for the evolutionary worldview.

Ironically, every false worldview must steal from the Christian worldview in order to argue against it.  How?   The Christian worldview is the only worldview that possesses the preconditions for intelligibility.  What is that?  Preconditions are those conditions that come beforehand and intelligibility is the ability to make something meaningful and understandable.

The Triune God is the bedrock of meaning, knowledge, logic, ethics, etc.  Apart from Him, there is no such thing as these concepts or even the concept of a concept; it would be an illusion at best, which itself is a concept.  In this, we see that the non-Christian assumes the Biblical God and all that He accounts for in order to then argue against Him.  Van Til once wrote that this is like a father who must put his child on his knee in order for the child to slap his father in the face.  This is no different.

Man is totally depraved, and his suppression of the truth in unrighteousness is magnified by his unwillingness to submit to Him who is the foundation of all things, for man would rather die in unbelief, judgement, and inconsistency than surrender to God in Christ. What foolishness!

To Him be the glory! Amen!

Gossip: A Deadly Sin

Gossip is a despicable sin that each of us succumbs to. The human heart is deceitfully wicked, and we are constantly attempting to build ourselves up by tearing others down. Even if we are not the ones speaking the gossip, our ears often perk up just to listen to it, and, by attentively listening, we endorse it.

Ironically, the same measure we use to judge others (done quite a bit through gossip) is the same measure others will judge us. In this way, if one gossips about someone to another, that same person is most likely to then gossip about the gossiper. In a vain attempt to build oneself up through demeaning another, one has actually torn oneself down even further as the next man gossips to others about the gossiper!

Prayer gossip is a more subtle form, for, we often make a prayer request about someone not because we care but because we want to tear someone down. "Please pray for such and such; they have a bad marriage, and I heard that Jim's been drinking again." Now if the person asks for prayer and also asks that it be made known to others, then that's legitimate, but we must be careful in handling such sensitive matters.

When confronted with gossip, it is important at once to immediately change the conversation to something more fruitful. If tempted to gossip, then take that thought captive to Christ, and think upon Him and His glory and refuse to gossip.

To Him be the glory! Amen!

Believing The Lies: Evolution from Goo to You

Men believe in macro evolution, which is to say molecules to man, because they detest the True and Living God in their suppression of the truth in unrighteousness (Rom 1). In spite of the absurdity of materialism, which is the philosophy that matter is all there is, men like Richard Lewontin stated himself that he cannot allow a Divine Foot in the door because of a prior commitment to this materialism.

I use the word believe because materialism is a religious system of thought. It is a worldview with no foundation at all, yet men embrace it with all their heart. Men would rather believe in the unfounded absurd than submit to the One True Triune God Who demands their repentance and worship.

Even moreso, men who call themselves Christians act like practical materialists when they pray little, advocate secular psychology, and refer people to godless therapists and counselors in time of need.

Repent you fool! If you are enslaved to this godless system, turn from your evil, and cast yourself upon Christ, Who is the Perfect Lamb of God! Amen!

In The News: Further European Debt Crisis

Europe continues to be plagued by growing debt.  Peter is robbed to pay Paul, but now Peter has begun to run out of money and borrowing power.  If something is not done soon, the whole system will collapse, and a greater crises will emerge. 

How should a Christian react to this?

The Scripture does not prohibit borrowing, but it is clear in Proverbs that the borrower is a slave to the lender.  However, the greater the debt the greater the slavery is to that debt.  In the case of Europe, and America for that matter, an increasing yoke of debt has crippled several countries.  Riots have broken out again and again, yet the solution is not easily accepted.  That requires sacrifice.

In an era where few want to sacrifice, one can only expect the consequences to escalate.  However, as individual Christians, we can set the example by living thriftily and helping those in true need (hand up versus a hand out).  Furthermore, we can also use our right to vote to elect fiscally responsible politicians. 

This takes backbone, for it means that everyone, including ourselves, will have to take a cut in something to fix the debt crises.  If we don't, then we surely reap the whirlwind that is ever approaching.

America's Atheocracy

Those who oppose Christ regularly erect the straw man that any effort to impart Biblical principles into our society is an attempt to establish a theocracy. Not only is this dishonest, but it is also deceptive.

1) It is dishonest because from the Foundation of America, Christian Statesmen were not advocating a theocracy but a Constitutional Republic that is based on Biblical principles. Lest one challenge this, a specific example is warranted. The very assumption of original sin is clearly implied in the Constitution, for, when one reads the documents that surround it like the Federalist and Anti-Federalist papers, the inherent sinfulness or evil bent of man from birth is clearly expounded upon. The fundamental difference is that both sides were at odds on how to contain sin within a fallen society.

2) It is deceptive because some worldview will win the day at any given time, and what is alleged to be secular and thus neutral is a lie. On the contrary, we are becoming and have set the stage for an Atheocracy.

How would I define an atheocracy?

If a theocracy, namely a Christian theocracy, is a government based on the Bible and executes harsh punishment for any violation of Biblical Law wherein the Kingdom is manifested in its glory visibly, then an atheocracy is a society wherein God or any semblance of God is removed from all facets of life, especially public life. Any attempt to introduce God into the picture is rejected and condemned as a religion against the state.

If this sounds familiar, then you should not be surprised, for our nation is being overrun by formal and practical atheists in all parts of government and public life. All of this is done under the disguises of tolerance, acceptance, approval, and neutrality.

How shall we then live?

"Blessed is the nation whose God is the Lord!" proclaims the Scripture. Though we surely defend liberty of conscience, we must never agree that an atheistic style of government whereby the Lord God is defamed and ridiculed is the pinnacle of good government. Rather we must explain how a worldview affects a society and then boldly defend why a system of government based on Biblical worldview principles is the best system of government in a fallen society. It is the only system within a fallen society that exercises restraint with liberty of conscience on the one hand while maintaining justice and order on the other.

No other worldview can accomplish such balance because they are all based on the whimsical philosophies of fallen man and thus have no absolute basis for Law. Governments based in human philosophy always result in the tyranny of one, an elite, or just mob rule.

If an atheocracy is what we desire, then we truly deserve all of the horrendous fruits that it bears. Exhibit A: Joseph Stalin. Any questions?

Children, Anxiety, and Idolatry

In Matthew 6:25-34, Jesus Commands us not to worry.  "25For this reason I say to you, do not be worried about your life, as to what you will eat or what you will drink; nor for your body, as to what you will put on. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing? 26"Look at the birds of the air, that they do not sow, nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not worth much more than they? 27"And who of you by being worried can add a single hour to his life? 28"And why are you worried about clothing? Observe how the lilies of the field grow; they do not toil nor do they spin, 29yet I say to you that not even Solomon in all his glory clothed himself like one of these. 30"But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which is alive today and tomorrow is thrown into the furnace, will He not much more clothe you? You of little faith! 31"Do not worry then, saying, 'What will we eat?' or 'What will we drink?' or 'What will we wear for clothing?' 32"For the Gentiles eagerly seek all these things; for your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things. 33"But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be added to you. 34"So do not worry about tomorrow; for tomorrow will care for itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own."

As a father, I am especially prone to have anxiety over my children, which is sin.   We live in a fallen world, and calamity is going to occur, and our love for our children can easily become idolatrous, which is why anxiety sets in.  Because we can set our love for them above our love for God, we do everything we can do preserve this idol.  However, our children are not our own, and, is not God more grieved at this fallen world than we are?

Sometimes we think that God is apathetic to our calamities, yet Christ experienced such things on a regular basis.  He was grieved over the death of Lazarus and the effects of sin in a fallen world.  Because the world is fallen, Lazarus would taste death (twice actually), and Christ wept over the ills that sin had brought into the world since Adam, even though He was about to raise Lazarus from the dead! 

In Romans, 8:28-30, we read "28And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose. 29For those whom He foreknew, He also predestined to become conformed to the image of His Son, so that He would be the firstborn among many brethren; 30and these whom He predestined, He also called; and these whom He called, He also justified; and these whom He justified, He also glorified."  God is not going to forsake His beloved sheep, and when we experience hardship, He is not vindictive against us.  He does discipline us when we need it, but He does not hate His sheep.  He is the Good Shepherd, and laid down His life for the sheep (Jn 10:11-18).  

He not only loves His sheep, which don't deserve it, but He is also in absolute control of all things.  Even the hearts of kings are ultimately subjected to His divine will. Proverbs 21:1 states,"The king's heart is like channels of water in the hand of the LORD; He turns it wherever He wishes."  God is Sovereign in all things, and we must rest in that.  We are commanded to do so, and we reflect that from the heart when we are not anxious.  God is God, and we rest in Him.

Therefore, we humbly bow before the Risen Christ, and submit to the will of our Triune God! Amen!  Anxiety stems from our desire to be in control, and that control stems from pride, and where pride is, the burden is immense.  Let us give Him the burden that we can't handle and thus the glory that we don't deserve.  He reigns, and we rest in Him! Praise Him who is in control of all things! To Him be the glory forever! Amen!