Extreme left and right attacking the Jewish people UP-Date

UP-Date see below

BBC news at their web site is reporting that a synagogue in Venezuela has been "ransacked." The article is, "Synagogue desecrated in Venezuela." Here is part of the information:

"An armed gang has ransacked a Jewish synagogue in the Venezuelan capital Caracas after occupying the building for several hours. About 15 unidentified men broke into the building before daubing graffiti on the walls and desecrating scriptures. They also called for Jewish people to be expelled from the country."

There is also a silent video of the damages on that site.

Anti-Semitism is growing in socialist Venezuela under the rule of President Hugo Chavez. One of the issues I noted in one of the articles I did on Marxism is the melding of Marxism and extreme far right ideologies among the growing revolutionary movements today. Presbyterians Dancing With Karl Marx! Part 2 The Jewish magazine Commentary has an interesting article that confirms my thoughts on such a merging, at least in Venezuela.

Chavez has been influenced by radical far right nationalist, Norberto Ceresole. Writer, Travis Pantin in his article "Hugo Chávez's Jewish Problem," describes who Ceresole is:

"But Chávez is not just another Latin American leftist on the Castro model. While the Cuban dictator may be his most important political influence, his greatest intellectual debt is to the Argentinian writer and thinker Norberto Ceresole: a man not of the Left but of the populist Right, a Holocaust denier, and a sworn enemy of Israel and the Jews.

Born in 1943, Ceresole was one of the leading spokesmen for the radical populist government of the Argentinian president Juan Perón. Later, in the guise of a political theorist, he argued that the only appropriate leaders for Latin American nations were caudillos: nationalist, militarist, and charismatic strongmen capable of ushering in a “post-democratic” age in which the region’s people would become effortlessly at one with the generals who would direct every aspect of society. Led by a group of such caudillos, a confederation of Latin American fascist states would then be in a position to beat back American global hegemony.

Ceresole reportedly traveled with Chávez during his initial bid for power. After the latter’s 1998 victory, he published a celebratory volume, Caudillo, Army, People: The Venezuela of President Chávez. The second chapter is entitled “The Jewish Question and the State of Israel.” In it, Ceresole espoused a “new revisionism” that defined the Holocaust as a “myth” and Israel as a global menace"

Pantin goes on to write about how Chavez has used the fraudulent document The Protocols of the Elders of Zion against the Jewish community in Venezuela. He has also accused them of being God killers, the old defamation used against the Jews in Medieval Europe.

Pantin also writes that "One-third of Venezuela’s Jews have fled the country by now, and those who remain are in a state ranging from discomfiture to terror." The reason, "Prominent Jewish figures have been publicly denounced for supposed disloyalty to the “Bolívarian” cause, and “Semitic banks” have been accused of plotting against the regime. Citing suspicions of such plots, Chávez’s government has gone so far as to stage raids on Jewish elementary schools and other places of meeting. The anti-Zionism expressed by the government is steadily spilling over into street-level anti-Semitism, in which synagogues are vandalized with a frequency and viciousness never before seen in the country."

Pantin's article published July/August 2008 was written before the incident BBC just reported (above) and before Chavez ordered Israel's Ambassador expelled from that country.

One other thing that should be noted, some of the groups that backed the vicious anti-Zionist protests in different cities in the United States make common cause with Chavez. On the web site of the Party of Socialism and Liberation this is noted:

"The rally was chaired by Tampa student organizers Naveen El-Nawawy and Ahmad Deeb. There was roaring applause as Emmanuel Lopez of the ANSWER Coalition told the crowd that Venezuelan President Hugo Chávez had expelled the Israeli ambassador.

Lopez noted: “Venezuela is not extending their solidarity to the people of Palestine out of charity, but rather, they understand that their struggle against imperialism and for their freedom is in fact the same struggle as that of the people of Gaza. Its that real type of solidarity, built through our common struggles against a common enemy, that we have to recreate here in the United States.”

So it is a mixture of far right and far left hate that is attempting to use the Jewish people as scape-goats.

Pray for those chosen to bless the nations.

Up-Date- Another headline from yesterday is "Breaking News Caracas: the destruction of Jewish property has begun." This news piece is written by Aimee Kligman of the Examiner.com. This article contains information from people near the incident. One of the items is that, "We are also being told that a few ago, without fanfare or publicity, three of the most important rabbis in the community were expelled from the country. Their names for the record are Rabbi Mizrahi, Rabbi Cohen and Rabbi Brenner. "

I have not seen this anywhere else so I am not sure.

Glorifying Jesus Christ or What?

Yesterday on Presbyweb, Hans Cornelder, linked to two news articles found at the Presbyterian News site. They are about the World Social Forum. The first one, "World Social Forum reflects ‘spiritual’ search, mission expert says," is mostly about the new spirituality, Rev. Jooseop Keum, program executive on mission and evangelism for the World Council of Churches, sees connected to the World Social Forum.

It should be noted that Keum, A South Korean Presbyterian, is one of the signers of the Cuba Conference on spirituality and liberation that was held in May of 2008 by both the World Council of Churches and the World Reformed Alliance of Churches.

In May of 2008 I posted an article entitled Biblical Christianity as Scapegoat. It was about that 2008 conference held in Cuba whose members published a statement entitled "Communiqué from the Workshop on Spirituality of Resistance, Liberation and Transformation." This particular 'Communique' was about changing Christianity and aligning with other spiritualites in order to create a superior spirituality more in line with a socialist viewpoint.

I quoted part of the paper: "Empire spawns its own destructive spiritualities, such as the “religious right,” and thus it seeks always to co-opt the powers of religion for imperial aims." And I wrote about this as an example of scape goating.

I also wrote about one of the signers of the communique, Professor Ivone Gebara of Brazil. Her religious beliefs are an example of the kinds of new spiritualites that particular group up-holds. I quoted from her book Longing for Running Water: Ecofeminism and Liberation. She wrote:

"Evil is the proclamation and imposition of my gods as eternal and exclusive, capable of saving all of humanity. Evil is the claim that some people know the will of God and are commissioned to teach it as irrefutable dogma, while others are obliged to humbly recognize and accept their own ignorance." (168)

That last part is, of course, a caricature of Christian evangelism.

Jooseop Keum is, as I stated above, one of the signers of the Communique. So when he states in this new report on the World Social Forum that “While we share our spiritual resources with the civil movements, we could also learn from them what the most urgent mission priorities are in the contemporary world,” what is he really saying? That a spirituality that is called Christian by its adherents but is instead anti-Christian should be in partnership with a new kind of political ideology? An ideology by the way which, in this case, involves Cuba and Venezuela.

That isn't really new, but is instead as old as the history of the Church. In fact, John, the author of Revelation gives the Church a picture of just those kinds of partnerships. It's the picture of a woman drunk with the blood of saints sitting on the back of a beast.

When I read these various statements by Church leaders and theologians, who should know better, I think of a Romanian Lutheran Pastor whose story,Tortured For Christ, I read many years ago. The story includes the pastor and his wife's trials under, first the Nazis, and then the Communist. This part of their story is during the early years of Communist control in Romania and it reminds me of the foolishness of people who want an alternative spirituality to under-gird the various socialists who inhabit the World Social Forum.

"Pastor Richard and Sabina Wurmbrand attend the "Congress of Cults" arranged by the Romanian Communist government. As many religious leaders come forward to swear loyalty to the new regime, Sabina Wurmbrand tells her husband to "wipe the shame from the face of Jesus."Richard, knowing the outcome of such an act, tells his wife that if he challenges the congress she will no longer have a husband. Her only reply is, "I don't need a coward for a husband." When the pastor steps forward, the delegates believe he will also praise the new leadership, but to their surprise, Richard tells the 4,000 delegates that their duty as Christians is to glorify God and Christ alone."

That is all Christian's duty and also pleasure.

You can read the whole Wurmbrand story here and here and here.

My Great Granddaughter Molly Up-date

As I am dusting and look up at the shelf over my husband's desk I remember I want to share a picture.

Molly Simone at Christmas time.

And to announce that I will have a new great grandchild in August by a different grand daughter! Isn't life grand.

H/Tip Toby Brown

Animal metaphors but beware of humanity ...

“Behold, I send you out as sheep in the midst of wolves; so be shrewd as serpents and innocent as doves. But, beware of men …” (Matthew 10:16-17a)

This was the beginning of devotions for me this morning and I couldn’t help noticing the contrast. Verse 16 is filled with animal metaphors. So the next verse simply, boldly jumps out at you. Wolves, yes, we all understand, they rip and tear apart. But that’s just a picture, the real evil; evil without a picture to explain is humanity, unredeemed humanity, humanity rejecting the good news of Jesus Christ, his life, sacrificial death and bodily resurrection.

Jesus has just given his disciples instructions for going out into Judea and preaching. But he expands the ministry in verses 16 through 40 to all the ages to come. After all, in verse eighteen their testimony reaches out beyond the dusty villages and cities of Judea and reverberates before governors, kings and Gentiles. This is a message for all those who follow Jesus and minister in his name.

Returning to verse 16 one begins to understand the position of the sheep by the fact that they are in the midst of wolves and well, they are sheep. They seemingly have no defense. So Jesus gives them a defense.

As John Calvin writes, “Serpents, being aware that they are hated, carefully avoid and shrink from every thing that is hostile to them. In this manner he enjoins believers to take care of their life, so as not to rush heedlessly into danger, or lay themselves open to any kind of injury.” But, as Calvin puts it, “Doves, on the other hand, though naturally timid, and liable to innumerable attacks, fly in their simplicity, imagine themselves safe till they are struck, and in most cases place themselves within the reach of the fowler’s snares. To such simplicity Christ exhorts his disciples, that no excess of terror may hinder them from pursuing their course.”

That is amazing to say the least. I would have understood those two metaphors in almost the exact opposite. May we all fly with such simplicity and not be hindered by any ‘excess’ of terror.

Jesus’ warning to beware of men (or humanity) is meant as a warning for the long expanding history of the Christian Church because he catalogs much of its persecution. Calvin understands Jesus to be preparing the coming disciples because people often are stopped by the surprise of unexpected suffering.

But the admonition in verse 19, not to worry or be anxious, is followed in verse twenty by a promise that is not found anywhere else in scripture. That is “it is the Spirit of your Father who speaks in you.” R.T. France in the Tyndale commentary understands that the disciple who represents Jesus also bears the Spirit from the Father.

Finally after all of the detail of persecution the text gives a clear definition between two kinds of fear. And this nicely fits together with my posting Spiritual manipulation when voting on 08-b which included questions by a Presbytery about fear.

Verse 28 states “Do not fear those who kill the body but are unable to kill the soul; but rather fear Him who is able to destroy both soul and body in hell.” On this France writes, "Two types of fear are here contrasted: fear of men is a self-interested cowardice, but fear of God is a healthy response of awe and obedience in the face of the Almighty, and one which is positively commended throughout the Bible. ...Compared with the fate which awaits the disobedient and apostate, martyrdom is a far less fearful prospect"

Yet, Jesus gives comfort to his disciples telling them that they/we “are more valuable than many sparrows” who God the Father takes note of even as they “fall to the ground.”

African American Pastor's words to President Obama on abortion

Pastor Luke Robinson from Frederick Maryland preaching at the 36th Annual March For Life Rally, Washington DC 2009. Some very important and strong words to President Obama.

"At the conclusion of your term in office, may it never be said that you presided over the largest slaughter of innocent children in the history of the country and that African Americans became an ever increasing minority under your hand.” Quote taken from LifeSiteNews.Com.






Also hat tip to Hans Cornelder at Presbyweb

Spiritual manipulation when voting on 08-b

Witherspoon Society has a letter on their site from Rev. Mitch Trigger, Witherspoon’s Secretary/Communicator, about how Newton Presbytery dealt with voting on Amendment 08-b. The letter or small article can be found at How the discernment process worked in Newton Presbytery .

After “a ‘centering’ prayer” and a quiet reading of “both the current language in G-6.0106a-b and the proposed changes to ‘b,’” the presbytery members were asked to, “Ponder these three questions, and then using mutual invitation invite one another to reflect on these questions. “

The three questions are:

“1. What is your initial response to 1) the current wording and 2) the proposed wording?

2. Where and how do you see God in each? - (Or to ask this question in another way) – How do you see faithfulness to the Gospel of Jesus Christ expressed in each?

3. What frightens you if the proposed language fails – and if the proposed language passes?”

This is spiritual manipulation under the guise of ‘we need to be in harmony in our presbyteries.’

Some thoughts on the wording of the questions as manipulation:

1. Using the term “initial response,” to the wording suggests that some do not have long held biblical reasons for holding on to their view of fidelity and chastity.

2.“Where and how do you see God in each?” implies that God is in both the current wording and the proposed wording. But if one of these is biblically unworkable then God is not in it.

3.“What frightens you?” Those who trust in the Lord Jesus Christ are not frightened by policy changes rather they are concerned with faithfulness; their only fear is fear of the Lord and that has to do with reverence.

'Frightened' is a buzz word that has been used in my Presbytery on other issues. It puts the person defending their position in a very awkward place making it seem as though they are feeling endangered rather than standing up for what they believe is right.

Some thoughts on the process as manipulation:

1.In a free debate by those who were chosen by their Church to be Pastors and Elders people are allowed to speak as they feel led by the Holy Spirit. This process undermines that freedom. Someone else is controlling how each individual will form and speak their thoughts.

2.The reason given for the process is to make sure each person’s thoughts were “honored.” But we are not called to honor everyone’s position or thoughts but instead to be respectful to them as a person. We are to be polite and in fact to love that other person. We all fail at this but that doesn’t mean that we need to be controlled or manipulated. It means instead that we need to seek forgiveness and give forgiveness. It also means we need a Moderator that holds us to the rules of debate.

3.Another reason suggested is so that the other person might feel safe. But God has not called us to safety; he has instead called us to do the work of His kingdom. We, as Pastors and Elders, are instead to be concerned for the safety of our Churches. That concern is that sinful practices might not take hold and be lifted up among our congregations

Theology without Jesus Christ: the World Forum on Theology and Liberation

Sometimes one is reminded that without Jesus Christ, theology is dead. Sometimes one is reminded that in the name of theology some will seek to elevate human sinfulness.

Presbyweb has linked to an article, "Theologians converge on Brazil to envision a sustainable world." The article is about the third "World Forum on Theology and Liberation." These forums are held either before or after the World Social Forum.

This particular Forum will be lead by several well known theologians including a Presbyterian, Dr. Chung Hyun Kyung, Dr. Emilie Townes, and Mary Hunt, an Eco-feminist who spoke to Voices Of Sophia at the Presbyterian 2008 General Assembly. Also, Dr. Leonardo Boff of Brazil will be speaking.

There will be rituals of water, earth and body. These are described:

"Each day the Forum will begin with a moment of prayer. Groups from different parts of the world and different churches, with elements of traditional religions and African, indigenous, Amerindian and Asian cultures, will lead a ritual to invoke God's transforming, prophetic and regenerating presence - in God's many names - on each day of this big encounter."

In the past I have written several postings which include information on both the World Forum on Theology and Liberation, and the World Social Forum, as well as the United States Social Forum. The postings included, Presbyterians Dancing With Karl Marx! Part 1, Presbyterians Dancing With Karl Marx! Part 2 and Presbyterians Dancing with Karl Marx Part 3 .

In one of those articles I highlighted the theology of Dwight N. Hopkins, Professor of Theology at the University of Chicago Divinity School and also a member of Trinity United the Church once led by Jeremiah Wright.

He wrote a paper for the first World Forum on Theology and Liberation. I wrote about his paper, "Theologies in the USA:”

"He [Hopkins] names, what he sees as the most pervasive theology in the US, “neo-conservative theology,” which purportedly understands God as “the open face of aggressive US empire.” (Italics the author) Next is “liberal theology,” which according to Hopkins sees God as “bourgeois rights.” (Italics author) The final category is prophetic theology which the writer states sees God as “Liberation toward the practice of freedom.” Clearly Hopkins’ ideology is not theology (the study of God) nor is it based on scriptures but on Marxism."

There are already some papers for this new forum posted on the web site. Those that I can read, (many are in the language of the presenter), are interesting yet are totally disconnected from theology proper, the study of God, and are instead about socialist ideology.

One of the papers, "Peace Paradigm Shift and Joshua Syndrome" written by Jong Sun Noh, is almost incoherent due to the author's attempt to defend the leader of North Korea , Kim Jong-il, as well as that country's ideology. Her first paragraph on the second page is totally political propaganda:

"The politics is the culture in a form of political music, political mass games, political singing, dancing, paintings, arts, calligraphies, cheering with dancing of half million on the streets of Pyongyang. The formation of culture and the cultural activities is to cheer up the spirit of the people to a goal of solidarity in the system as a whole, one strong fortress against the invading forces of outside."

Another paper points to the true reason for this forum, That is, to use theology to bolster a socialist ideology. In the paper, "On Expanding the Scope of Liberation Theology: Two Theses," by Ivan Petrella, he writes about absorbing liberation theology into all facets of society. Petrella states, "it must become the foundation for other disciplines as well. Economics, law, medical anthropology, political science, sociology and a host of other disciplines could engage in the same epistemological shift with revolutionary consequences for each field."

His final thought is that the theological be divorced from liberation. He writes:

"Perhaps the task is that of disentangling the “liberation” from the “theology” in liberation theology. To work in liberation theology could mean to work outside of it, by finding ways the epistemological shift can infiltrate, subvert, and transform other bodies of knowledge. Here the liberation theologian need not carry the label of “theologian” and works best under a different disciplinary guise. Could the future of liberation call for the dissolution of liberation theology as an identifiable field of production? It would be up to subsequent generations of liberation theologians to turn this vision into a reality."

When liberation theology began in South America it at least had a few anchors, including the person of Jesus Christ. The martyred liberation theologian, Oscar Romero ,wrote:

"It would be worthless to have an economic liberation in which all the poor had their own house, their own money, but were all sinners, their hearts estranged from God. What good would it be? There are nations at present that are economically and socially quite advanced, for example those of Northern Europe, and yet how much vice and excess! The Church will always have its word to say: conversion. Progress will not be completed even if we organize ideally the economy and the political and social orders of our people. It won’t be entire with that. That will be the basis, so that it can be completed by what the church pursues and proclaims: God adored by all, Christ acknowledged as only Savior, deep joy of spirit in being at peace with God and with our brothers and sisters."

Liberation theology has long since moved far away from that stance. When the word of God is by-passed for human ideas and experiences then even an apologist for North Korea, one of the most totalitarian states in the world, can be considered a theologian. When Jesus Christ is rejected by those doing theology then theology will of course die. And only a supposedly utopian but instead dictatorial system will remain.