George Beverly Shea is 103 today!

George Beverly Shea is 103 today. This is an interview:
BGEA: Celebrating 103 Years of Sweet Sounds

Part of the interview is:
"A/ I was born in 1909 in Winchester, Ontario, where my dad served as pastor of the Wesleyan Methodist Church. Six of us were born during that time, and when I was 8, we moved to upstate New York. My mother was a church organist, and at home we had a piano that came from England. Mother played it so beautifully. She instilled in all of us a love for the old hymns. She would wake us up oft-times in the morning with an old song titled, “Singing I Go.” She would play an E-flat chord, and we would hear her voice: Singing I go along life’s road/For Jesus has lifted my load."

The missing Facebook page! UPDATE!

It was a dark & stormy night. Actually it was day after day with continual dreariness. This is a short story about how a Facebook site disappeared and it contains an additional tale about how some bigots were sent to checkout a Presbyterian (EPC) pastor and harass him.

I prayed about befriending the Israel/Palestine Mission Network of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) so I could write on their Facebook wall. I decided not to but then discovered that it was possible with out befriending them—although I am not sure why. Any way every so often I would comment if they linked to a particular bad article. A very few times I told them it was interesting if I found it so. And then some of my friends discovered that they could comment and did so.

The IPMN too often links to some very bad sites, including sites that are heavily anti-Semitic. They have linked to Veterans Today which targets not only Israel but also Jews in particular. Veterans Today blames Israel for 9-11 and insists, like all anti-Semites, that the Jews are trying to control the world including the United States government. VT has a lot of sister sites with many of the same writers. IPMN also links to the sister sites and/or the writers. And one of the writers sometimes published on VT is Jim Wall the former Editor of the Christian Century. Wall, who has his own blog, is definitely an anti-Semite and has friends who are even more so.

Recently David Fischler who blogs at Reformed Pastor, wrote an article entitled, “When an Anti-Semite Does Political Analysis.” It was about Wall’s article, “With South Carolina Victory, Gingrich Rides Adelson Money Train Against Obama,” In Wall’s article he insisted that Newt Gingrich would win the GOP presidential primary in Florida because of a Jewish man, Sheldon Adelson, who is pro Israel. Wall went so far as to state that the Jews of South Florida would vote for him. Fischler among many other things pointed out that 75% of the Jews in Florida are Democrats and the Primary in Florida is a closed one meaning that one has to vote for their own registered political party. Also as Fischler wrote:

… the real point is that Wall’s weaving a classic anti-Semitic conspiracy theory: Adelson is the Jewish money man, controlling the politician who will do his bidding, and who apparently all by himself buy the politician a presidential nomination for the purpose of giving blind and total support to the Jewish state.

This story was on Wall’s blog, Wallwritings, and linked to by IPMN. I had been invited to post something once on the IPMN Facebook site when I found it too hard to place a copied link in a comment. So I decided to post Fischler’s analysis. And I made a few comments so people would know what they were reading and why I posted it. I think it was about a day later, perhaps two days, the IPMN Facebook page disappeared.

I wrote to Carol Hylkema asking what had happened to their Facebook. She wrote me back “We’ve taken it down temporarily while we figure out the best way to monitor the postings.” So I can only suppose that my link posting broke the camel’s back. But this story has a twist. Wall must have been infuriated because he immediately subscribed to Fischler’s blog and then some of his fellow anti-Semites came over to Fischer’s blog to harass him.

You can read all of the comments here: http://reformedpastor.wordpress.com/2012/01/22/when-an-anti-semite-does-political-analysis/#comments

So this is two stories and one theme, anti-Semitism. I am certain there will be a sequel, and I will write about it when it happens.

UPDATE: The Facebook is back up with this message:

"Dear IPMN Facebook Friend,

We have been posting articles, videos and more here on Facebook as a place where dialogue can take place and show the diversity of opinion on the conflict in Israel/Palestine, and to serve as a clearing-house for information not readily available in one place in the media. Mostly, this forum has been respectful and meaningful though ther...e have been times when comments or posts have had to be taken down as they were deemed offensive.

This fan page has been staffed by volunteers (IPMN has no paid staff at all), which makes it difficult to monitor all the comments that are posted here. Unfortunately, Facebook does not have a setting that suits our needs at the current time and we will be moving this clearing-house to our Twitter page. We hope that you will be able to follow us on Twitter where we will be continuing to post links to important articles and information. If you are not a Twitter user, you can still bookmark our page and check in on it on a daily basis, without a Twitter account. If you are a Twitter user, we ask that you follow us on twitter and keep the conversation going.

We have been told by many of you that the range of information we are posting here makes IPMN a good source for solid and current information. We will continue to provide links to news and events in Palestine as well as Israel, vis-à-vis the 44-year occupation and the facts on the ground pertaining to it, on Twitter.

Please bookmark this page and visit regularly or better yet, follow IPMN on Twitter:

https://twitter.com/#!/IPMN

And don’t forget to peruse our network’s website where we have a LIVE newsfeed on our homepage. Our Newsfeed is supplied by Ha’aretz, BBC Mideast and Electronic Intifada:

www.theIPMN.org

THANK YOU!
Twitter

twitter.com"


Dice picture by Christopher Juncker

Washington D. C. March for Life

Because the newspapers thought it wasn’t so important I thought I would post this. And while I’m at it, maybe some people from the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) will note that many of the people in this video are young, joyful, and earnest about life. It’s a great video about the pro-life march in Washington D.C.:

Video by Marc Barnes

Journey, Fremont and the joy of the Lord

Sunday, 29th of January, my husband and I will begin a new journey, at Journey, a Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.). There is some melancholy in this move, some sadness, but also some hope and always joy. God provided a place for us and new friends and fellowship. But we will not really leave behind the old friends, our sisters and brothers—we will be seeing them also off and on. One of our daughters and son-in-law are now attending our old Church Fremont. And they will stick with them loss of building or not. That is five new people, Fremont, in place of two. It seems God will double your people because of faithfulness to him.

I listened to some of the videos of the Fellowship of Presbyterians today and thought of Fremont when the pastor asked if your church disappeared would anyone (in your neighborhood) notice. I am afraid that Sacramento Presbytery will cause that to happen unless God intervenes. The children’s basketball team. The music, the Christmas Eve program. When attending once I had an older Catholic lady tell me “I come here on Christmas Eve because it is close and I like the music.” I think I have mentioned before how Fremont gave an offering to keep the neighborhood swimming pool open, and they have adopted a school that they care for. The principal has come several times on Sunday morning to thank the congregation. I know Fremont will continue much of this wherever they move, if they have to move, but it will be hard.

But for each of us who belong to Christ, he is our joy in all circumstances. Jesus is walking with his people through all the scary times.



All the poor and powerless

And all the lost and lonely
All the thieves will come confess
And know that You are holy
And know that You are holy

And all will sing out
Hallelujah
And we will cry out
Hallelujah

All the hearts who are content
And all who feel unworthy
And all who hurt with nothing left
Will know that You are holy

And all will sing out
Hallelujah
And we will cry out
Hallelujah

Shout it

Go on scream it from the mountains
Go on and tell it to the masses
That He is God
We will sing out
Hallelujah
And we will cry out
Hallelujah

Music by All Sons and Daughters, Video by Beanscot

Chesterton, developing evil & the Western Church

The Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.)’s Vice Moderator in a recent posting suggested that the “Bible was written by a people who, at that time of human development, were the functional cognitive equivalents of the modern six year old.” He also suggested in a comment “that societies mature in an equivalent process to individuals. Just as you and I go through a developmental process, so do groups.” That is a 19th century assumption, but it started me thinking about how evil develops in society and groups. I have been reading G.K. Chesterton and I note that in his book The Everlasting Man he basically scoffs at the 19th century idea of all ancient societies being lower in their developmental stage.

Chesterton makes a big distinction between the morality of a civilization and their development. One of the interesting contrasts he points out is a civilization that was highly advanced but yet carried within it a demonic urge that began in another society, that of the Canaanites. His chapter, “The war of the Gods and Demons,” covers the ideological difference between two great enemies, Rome and Carthage. Rome’s early gods were more of the domestic kind. Carthage’s god was a different kind all together.

Chesterton writes of the Canaanite religion with its idea of child sacrifice to Molech and how that demonic name can be traced moving via Canaan to Sidon and Tyre and finally Carthage. He contrasts the demons of Carthage with the domestic gods of Rome and suggests that we as a western civilization have much too thank the Romans for as they defeated Carthage. He writes of the god that was called Moloch:

The Romans did not at first quite know what to make of him; they had to go back to the grossest myth of Greek or Roman origins and compare him to Saturn devouring his children. But the worshippers of Moloch were not gross or primitive, they were members of a mature and polished civilization, abounding in refinements and luxuries; they were probably more civilized than the Romans. … These highly civilized people really met together to invoke the blessing of heaven on their empire by throwing hundreds of their infants into a large furnace. (149)

Chesterton goes on to the Greek gods and their mythologies. Greek vices, which may have developed from their gods or perhaps their gods developed from their vices, left the very early Romans appalled. Chesterton writes of the Greek vices, “Just as they became unnatural by worshiping nature, so they became unmanly by worshiping man.” He elaborates:

If Greece led her conqueror, she might have misled her conqueror; but these were things he did originally wish to conquer—even in himself. It is true that in one sense there was less inhumanity even in Sodom and Gomorrah than in Tyre and Sidon. When we consider the war of the demons on the children, we cannot compare even Greek decadence to Punic devil worship. But it is not true that the sincere revulsion from either be merely pharisaical. It is not true to human nature or common sense. (159)

But the Roman virtue came to an end with the dying of their mythologies. Chesterton wrote about the mythological boredom that led to atheism, drug taking and “startling obscenities.” That is where his famous quote, about teasing the cat pops up:

I do not believe that mythology must begin with eroticism. But I do believe that mythology must end in it. I am quite certain that mythology did end in it. Moreover, not only did the poetry grow more immoral, but the morality grew more indefensible. Greek vices, oriental vices, hints of the old horrors of the Semitic demons [the Canaanites] began to fill the fancies of decaying Rome, swarming like flies on a dung heap. The psychology of it is really human enough, to anyone who will try that experiment of seeing history from the inside. There comes an hour in the afternoon when the child is tired of ‘pretending’; when he is weary of being a robber or a Red Indian. It is then that he torments the cat. (164)

In the end, Rome was conquered by both demons and strange evolving gods. Even Nero participated in same gender weddings at one time calling himself a bride. The western world, and the United States in particular may be weary of the God who toppled Rome’s demons but he nonetheless stands over all our holy houses pleading with his people.

All the doors are opening to the demonic in the Western World. We have a holocaust of dead babies. Sexual sins of many kinds are finding blessings in many denominations and religious communities. Although I haven’t touched on it there is greed seeping through all of this. And yes, arrogance, because civilizations breed an awful false pride in humanity; we build our towers while leaving God’s word on the ground—perhaps as a footstool.

There is an answer. Chesterton wrote of those first believers who would not offer incense to Caesar. “We see a new scene, in which the world has drawn its skirts away from these men and women and they stand in the center of a great space like lepers.” He writes of the witnesses that form about and above them. He writes of the hatred that forms toward them. But he also writes of the light that shone in a dark night, “a white fire clinging to that group like unearthly phosphorescence, blazing its track through the twilights of history and confounding every effort to confound it with the mists of mythology and theory…”

Faithfulness in the midst of it all is what God calls us to. Jesus is faithful to his promises and we belong after all to that “begotten God” who is in the bosom of his Father. (John 1:18)

Tautologies, overtures 009 & 020 & marriage in the North West Company

Usually in ‘Introduction to Philosophy’ classes students discuss tautologies. In a casual definition it simply means two differently worded definitions that are the same, such as “an unmarried man is a bachelor.” That statement is both redundant and true. But speaking logically it is, as my side dictionary, puts it, “a proposition or statement that, in itself, is logically true. It would not be true if we changed either the meaning of a bachelor or an unmarried man. But at least for the time being if we know that Joe is a bachelor we also know that he is an unmarried man. That is logically consistent.

But we live in a culture that tends to deny even the logically true statement. For instance, for two thousand years in western society the proposition that marriage is an official conjugal relationship between a man and a woman has been a logically true statement in itself. That is, no other statement was needed to prove that statement. And that is not only a logical statement it is also a biblical statement, the definitions are the same but they are also upheld by God’s mandate.

But in this post-modern world even tautologies are under attack. And when logical truths are under attack the foundations that hold cultural expectations together begin shattering. Several overtures coming to the 220th General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) are designed to shatter the foundations of Christianity in general and the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) in particular. Overture 020 from the Presbytery of the Hudson River and Overture 009 from East Iowa are asking the GA to send to the Presbyteries for vote a request to remove the wording of marriage between a man and a woman to marriage between two people. This is of course meant to change the definition of marriage from an official conjugal relationship between a man and woman to an official conjugal relationship between any adult sex pairing.

The progressives in the PC (U.S.A.) believe they are dealing in rights, but instead they are changing the foundations of the western world as they casually attempt to throw away truth statements. And even more so, they are attacking the biblical understanding of marriage which is based on God’s word. It is sad to think that not only in the secular world is night falling, but also in the Christian world, in the largest Presbyterian denomination.

If the meaning of marriage is changed, all else will fall with that change. And if it is changed within a Christian denomination it will no longer be a ‘Christian’ denomination because that change will be the great contradiction that is laid over the word of God and the Confessions of the Church. But let me look at how the good news reverses the throw away of truth.

When I took a class on how to write a thesis the subject matter was to be about Native Americans. Because my real thesis was going to be on women and their rights I chose to write about the fur traders and frontier men and their Native American wives. The first part centered on those members of the North West Company that lived in the wilderness of Canada. One person, Daniel Harmon, was very interesting, a bookish loner coming from an intellectual family. Among the men he worked with it was generally acceptable to marry a native woman and then when it was time to leave for civilization leave her and her children behind.

But Harmon started getting letters from his brother in the colonies where a revival was occurring, undoubtedly a part of one of the Great Awakenings. He turned to Christ and in the turning realized that he could not leave his wife and children behind.

In his journal he wrote of his conversion:

I have always doubted whether such a Savior as the scriptures describe, ever really existed, and appeared on earth. … My intention, however, was, by no means to cast off all religion; but I attempted to frame to myself a religion which would comport with my feelings, and with my manner of life. –For several years past, however, my mind has not been at rest …As I was praying today, on a sudden, the faith, respecting which I was so solicitous, was, I trust, graciously granted me’ My views of the Savior; underwent a total change. I was enabled, not only to believe in his existence, but to apprehend his superlative excellency, and now he appears to be, in truth, what the scriptures describe him to be, the chiefest among ten thousand, and one altogether lovely.[1]

A group of the men began reading scripture together and the consequence was a new understanding of the sacredness of marriage. One of the men even wrote a letter chastising another who was planning on leaving his wife behind.

The good news of Jesus Christ includes the truth that marriage is between a woman and a man. To allow the breaking of that truth is to destroy the name Christian above the door of any denomination. Those presbyteries sending such overtures to the 220 GA are involved in the worst kind of destruction. They are fighting against the holy guidance of the Holy Spirit as our hearts and minds are opened to the “chiefest among ten thousand, and one altogether lovely. The One who stated, “Have you not read, that he who created them from the beginning made them male and female, and said, ‘For this reason a man shall leave his father and his mother and be joined to his wife, and the two shall be one flesh’?”

Picture is of Daniel Harmon

[1] Daniel W. Harmon, A Journal of Voyages and Travels in the interior of North America, Ed. Daniel Haskel, intro. By W.L. Grant, preface by Daniel Haskel, (New York: Allerton Book Co. 1820; reprint, no city: Williams-Barker Co. 1905). 196-197.

ECO is a sign of Christ's love for the PC (U.S.A.)

I think what happened in Orlando this week, the new Evangelical Covenant Order of Presbyterians, is part of what God is doing for and to the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A). But more importantly it is what God is doing in the midst of his universal Church. It may be a large part or a small part; history must be lived, before we know. I do not think it is a reason for anger, sniping or general rudeness, such as I have read here and there.

I still contend that the progressives in the denomination simply do not understand the pain of the orthodox. It wasn’t just a case of winning or losing a debate by a vote; it was some throwing the holy into the garbage dump. It was declaring that the word of God written does not have authority over the experiences of humanity. It was insisting the redemptive quality of Christ’s work on the cross was insufficient; we should just go it alone, so to speak, “what we can’t change by ourselves must be unchangeable.” Pelagianism is running amok—in church history it has often led to antinomianism, since one tends to cover up what seemingly can’t be changed by calling sin a gift and good.

If we do not believe in the redeeming life, death and resurrection of Christ, if the power of his resurrection is not transformative, our chosen paths will close in upon our souls; we will die in our sins.

God’s mercy is very wide. He will not leave his own to flounder in their rebelliousness. He warns most of the seven churches of Asia Minor urging them to repent. For instance, to the church of Sardis, “Wake up and strengthen the things that remain, which were about to die; for I have not found your deeds completed in the sight of My God. So remember what you have received and heard; and keep it, and repent”

Or to the church of Pergamum, “Therefore repent; or else I am coming to you quickly, and I will make war against them [the Nicolaitans, who taught the church “to eat things sacrificed to idols and to commit acts of immorality] with the sword of my mouth.” Jesus leans over his church like a mother leans over the crib of a sick child. He offers good to those who see their need, and hope to those who follow in faith.

He likens the Church to a wife and himself the husband who causes her, by his own life-giving sacrifice, to be transformed into her most perfect self. “That he might present to himself the church in all her glory, having no spot or wrinkle or any such thing; but she should be holy and blameless.” (Eph 5:27) The PCUSA is a part of that church that Christ is transforming. If another body, such as the ECO must grow out of her or another denomination stands beside her such as the Evangelical Presbyterian Church receiving hurting members it can only be because God yet longs to work within the PCUSA. He longs for us to turn back to the written word and Jesus Christ, the living word who is after all the Lord of the Church universal.