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Tag: Christian

  • Can Christians Have Humor?

    One of the older misgiven stereotypes of Christians is that they are old dried-up humorless sourpusses. This image of Christians is probably not as prevalent in the world today as it was during my youth, however, the idea is still somewhat alive even if not articulated in the same way it was a few decades ago.

    Oftentimes when poking fun people are quick to judge or defend the sensitivities of others. And perhaps there is a fine line when creating humor at another’s expense. But that is a far cry from humor used in a lighthearted way to get a point across.

    I believe it important to understand that all emotions experienced by humans are God given (some people may be puzzled by that and ask, ‘Even hate?’ To which I would have to answer, “Yes, even God hates.”). The idea that we just magically created the wealth of human emotions through some evolutionary process of climbing out of the primordial ooze is, in and of itself, humorous. God gave us a soul, our souls elicit emotions, and one of those emotions is humor.

    This isn’t to say that, like everything else in this world, our emotions haven’t been tainted by sin. They have. However, they, like all aspects of creation, are a reflection of the many facets of a Holy and infinite God.

    Consider Sarah, who when giving birth to her very firstborn son, found humor in the fact that her husband was 100 years old:

    5 And Abraham was an hundred years old, when his son Isaac was born unto him. 6 And Sarah said, God hath made me to laugh, so that all that hear will laugh with me. 7 And she said, Who would have said unto Abraham, that Sarah should have given children suck? for I have born him a son in his old age.

    Genesis 21:5-7 KJV

    Or Job, who likened his condition and position of trusting in God to a person being mocked of his neighbors and when he cries out to God, God’s answer is that the righteous are laughed to the point of scorn:

    3 But I have understanding as well as you; I am not inferior to you: yea, who knoweth not such things as these? 4 I am as one mocked of his neighbour, who calleth upon God, and he answereth him: the just upright man is laughed to scorn. 5 He that is ready to slip with his feet is as a lamp despised in the thought of him that is at ease.

    Job 12:3-5 KVJ

    Laughter and humor is very much a part of our beings, even though at times truth in humor can sting.

    And it is in that vein that I pray I may be allowed a little bit of leeway in my own feeble attempt at levity and humor today. Please understand that this is only parody in response to the state of the world today. Nothing more, and nothing less.

    Today, the US Stock Exchange gave up considerable ground on the news of continued inflation within the country and fears of a Fed Prime Rate hike increase tomorrow (The Hill). And yet, President Biden seemed to insist that the Reduction in Inflation Act was working as promised (Biden touts inflation reduction law despite sobering report). This seemed just a little over the top humorous to me and resulted in me penning the following:

    BEGIN SATIRE

    Tuesday, 13 September 2022, Washington D.C.
    Veep News Service, Inc.
    K.D. Harris, Sr. Reporter

    President Joe Biden addressed the Nation today praising the huge success of his Inflation Reduction Act (formerly “Build Back Better”) amid reports of soaring inflation numbers, the worst Wall Street sell off since 2020, and rising fears of a huge Fed hike in interest rates tomorrow.

    “I did that!” Joe Biden proudly exclaimed while pointing to charts showing every major stock index plunging into the red.  “Our Inflation Reduction Act is working faster and better than any of the analysts could have possibly predicted.”, he went on to say.  “If only the Republicans hadn’t blocked our every move and allowed us to get this crucial legislation in place earlier, we could have seen these numbers a year ago.”

    When asked about having a Misery Index higher than that of Jimmy Carter, President Biden began to eerily channel former VPOTUS Al Gore and stated that ‘Everything that ought to be UP is DOWN, while everything that ought to be DOWN is UP!’  In confusing and stumbling words the President brilliantly explained to this reporter that the Inflation Reduction Act was working exactly as designed and that in order to actually get to the great reset we needed to first utterly destroy hard working American’s pension plans, see thousands of seniors freeze to death amidst soaring fuel prices this winter, and of course bankrupt America by shifting defaulted student loans to the backs of Americans who paid their own way.  Triumphantly, President Biden stumbled off stage and immediately crashed his bicycle into an imaginary object while blaming President Trump and Ronald Regan for the soaring crime rate in the Country.

    This reporter was in awe of the President’s stature and his ability to effectively communicate his message without any of the mean Tweets of the illegitimate President Donald J. Trump.  America has a bright future ahead as the Inflation Reduction Act really kicks in to raise the National Debt by over $5 Trillion, oddly erases imaginary Global Climate Change, and cures cancer by the time the President reaches his 104th birthday.

    AP Wire, 09232022-115600 GMT.

    END SATIRE

    Hopefully you can see the humor in that.

  • Can You Be A Christian And … ?

    My last post, unsurprisingly, generated some questions. Which is great because it exposes me to different world views. But they also alerted me to the fact that perhaps my real point was misinterpreted, particularly by the younger generations. So I’d like to address a couple of questions here that were thrown my way in the hope of being a little clearer and to take the opportunity to expound a little bit on my own world views.

    The first thing people usually take issue with or question is generalities and absolutes. These mostly come from younger generations, but older people sometimes take offense at them as well. As a simple example someone might say “Do you have any proof that all have sinned?”. Or someone might just say “You can’t say all.” But of course I can (and did – and do). Whether you find truth in it or agree with it is up to you, not me. As proof I could simply ask the world the question “Can anyone who has never committed a single sin please speak up?” Because I’d like to have a conversation with you. But I don’t have to generate any proof (really) because God said it (in His word), I believe it, and that’s that. It is an absolute.

    The real tragedy here is that we’ve taught people you can no longer speak in absolutes. Of course you can. The Bible speaks in absolutes all the time. And it starts in Genesis Chapter 1. For the sake of brevity I’ll need to break this into a couple of posts, but allow me to point out one Biblical absolute in great controversy within our discussions today.

    Genesis 1:27 says “So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them.” KJV

    That is an absolute. God created male and female. Not males that were cheated and belonged in a female body or females that were cheated and feel like they belong in a male body. You were created (made) a male or a female. You may feel like you are something else, but that is your choice. And your choice does not negate God’s creation or how he made you. And it doesn’t matter how many surgeries you have or hormone treatments you’ve had or whatever else you’ve done. You were either born a male or a female. That is God’s design. Even in cases of genetic mutations which are simply a result of sin in the world. Sin does have consequences in the world but God’s plan is still absolute.

    So the Bible talks in absolutes and so can we. We may not like absolutes because it seems to exclude those that don’t want to be included in the absolute, however it does not change the fact of the absolute. The only thing that changes is our position relative to the absolute. My position is to accept the absolute.

    And yes, sometimes I extrapolate those absolutes. Because there are divisions in the world. I acknowledge the grey areas, but encourage people to not be lukewarm. Pick a side and stand by it.

    Which brings me to the second question people ask “Can’t Christians be Democrats?” Well obviously they can. Can a Christian be a murder? Sure they can. But is that in violation of God’s law? I believe it is. Is that a problem? We all know it is. But a Christian should be on a journey to placing Christ foremost in their life. And that does not mean perfection. It means walking closer and closer to Jesus each and every day. It means acknowledging His preeminence and not your own. And I would argue that it means not calling out all the sins of others in the world but being a little more concerned with your own. I’m not here to condemn the murders in the world. I’m simply echoing God’s word which says murder is sin. And your sin is between yourself and God. I’m right there with you as my own sins are great and I am the least of God’s servants. And neither does this mean that there are not consequences to sin. There are. And I have to deal with mine, and I’ll let you deal with yours.

    So can a Christian be a member of the Democrat Party in the USA? Well of course they can. But I choose the Republican platform because it most closely aligns with what I find to be important in light of what aligns with my world view and Biblical understanding. Is it perfect? No. Of course not. But it is the best choice I can make. The weight of the evidence for me is who protects human life and who does not. The Democrat Party Platform does not protect human life. It seeks to murder unborn innocent children:

    Securing Reproductive Health, Rights, and Justice

    Democrats are committed to protecting and advancing reproductive health, rights, and justice. We believe unequivocally, like the majority of Americans, that every woman should be able to access high-quality reproductive health care services, including safe and legal abortion. We will repeal the Title X domestic gag rule and restore federal funding for Planned Parenthood, which provides vital preventive and reproductive health care for millions of people, especially low-income people, and people of color, and LGBTQ+ people, including in underserved areas.

    You may argue about all the other things the Democrat Party has planned, but will it really matter killing our children at the alarming rates we do? And are you willing to compromise a stance on murder for all of your other beliefs and ideals? Because by aligning yourself with the Democrat Party that is exactly what you are doing. You are providing them numbers, credence , an a louder voice.

    I wasn’t saying that you cannot be a Christian and belong to the Democrat Party in my last post. I was saying if your are a Christian I’m sure you value life as the very gift from God, and that is greatly at odds with the Democrat Party Platform. And I just asked that you think about that.

  • Do You Want to Change the World?

    Currently, here in the United States of America, we are going through an election cycle for the President Of The United States. The candidates making their pitch to the citizens for the highest office in the country, each have a vision for how they would change things for the better. They all want to do something, and sometimes, what that something is, is hard to discern. They also want to bring their vision of change ostensibly on behalf of the people they represent. Seemingly without regard as to what that change would mean to the people or how it would affect them.

    How about yourself?  Have you ever wanted to change the world?  Have you ever wanted to right a wrong?  Build a bridge?  Or tear down a wall?  Have you ever wanted to unite people?  Or divide the good from the evil?  I think all of us, to some extent or another, have wanted to impart our own particular version of change upon that area we can affect, at one time or another.  We all, seemingly want to change the world.

    My question is why?  Why do YOU, personally, want to change the world?  To what end?  And what would be accomplished?  And this is not a matter that is particular or unique to any one group or world view.  Christian’s want to CHANGE the world for Jesus Christ.  Atheists want to CHANGE the world by stamping out (supposed) religious fantasy, and even Agnostics want to CHANGE the world by having everyone else just leave everyone alone.  And somehow I can’t help but believe we’ve all gotten it wrong.  And the group I am most concerned with today is the Theistic group.  Because that is the group that I believe actually has the most potential to effect a change in the world, IF they were to do their part.  And here is why I believe that is so ,,,

    If your world view is Atheistic, you cannot possibly believe there is any outside or external influence upon the forces in the world today.  It is a closed system and, as I have argued in past posts, is subject to the physical and meta-physical laws of the universe around us.  The mere fact that you even want to change the world was set in motion (supposedly) billions of years ago at the outset of the (so-called) Big Bang.  You can no more change the world than you can defy the laws of gravity or nature.  Everything around you is governed by a set of events you have absolutely no control over and has no meaning attached to it.  It just is what it is.  So why do you need to effect any change to begin with?  All of time is going to play out governed by the laws of the universe whether you like it or not.

    If you are Agnostic in your world view you really shouldn’t care one way or the other.  After all, Que Sera, Sera.  Whatever will be, will be.  The problem the Agnostic faces is that they truly cannot be left alone.  The Agnostic has to exist in a world alongside both Theists and Atheists.  And at some point they are going to be infringed upon.  At some point the Agnostic is forced to care and to act in their own best interests.  And even that is a misnomer because even then the true Agnostic shouldn’t really care.  Why would you?  A true Agnostic would just go with the flow.  They are along for the ride and hope that it all sorts itself out in the end.

    The Theist however should believe in a God.  A Spiritual realm that has an external influence upon the world and that is acting out on a greater plane than we see or experience here in the physical realm.  And this is the group I have the greatest concern over.

    Christians want to CHANGE the world for God.  And yet as Theists, the Christian should recognize that it is their very God who is in control.  It is he who orchestrates change in the life of a person and it is he who moves to effect His will in the world today.  The ONE thing a Christian should want is to get out-of-the-way and let God work!

    Nowhere in Scripture do I find the commandment to CHANGE the world.  Christians so often misinterpret their own directives and try to apply them to others around them, when in reality, they are only commanded to follow.  The question I would ask is How can you be following if you are constantly trying to change the direction of others around you?

    Christians believe they are to be the Salt of the earth (a concept I’ve addressed in this post before).  Christians can’t preserve the status quo.  Nor are they intended to.  Christians as Salt should be the savor in the world.  That which makes the taste palatable.  And one might ask whom they are making the taste palatable for?  Why God of course!  Not for others or ourselves, but for Him!  The great I Am.

    Christians believe they should be the Light of the world.  But light has never caused me to change my path in and of itself.  It has illuminated my path and helped me along my way.  But it has never directed my path.  Light illuminates, but it does not direct or dictate a way to go.

    So what then should we do?  I have always told my congregation that they have one obligation in their Christian lives.  And that is to keep their eyes on the Cross.  A Christians obligation is to simply take up their cross and follow after Jesus Christ.  When your eyes are on the Cross of Jesus Christ, everything you see will be filtered by His sight, by His will, and for His Glory.  And then He will effect real change in the world we live in.  Not because of what we have done, but because of what He has done.

    So what about you, Christian?  Do you want to change the world?  Then keep your eyes on the Cross of Jesus Christ.  Take up your cross and follow after him.  By applying all of your attention to the Creator of the Universe and by simply following Him, Jesus Christ, you WILL become the Salt and the Light of the world.  And the world WILL change.  Not because of what we have done, but because of what we have STOPPED doing.  Stop trying to CHANGE the world and allow the Sovereign God to work and the world WILL CHANGE.