Government-Run Healthcare

Well, I’m obviously not surprised that President Obama and the “wise beyond their years” Democratic Party is attempting to regulate / run/ “compete” in healthcare.  and make no mistake about it – they intend to win.  Here’s just a short snippet of what I think.  I have already addressed this topic, but I feel that it needs to be visited again – and again, and again, and again… until we get the point.

What they are attempting to do is to create a “public option” for people who don’t have health insurance.  now, as I have said before, healthcare and health insurance are two different things.  Healthcare is what you receive when you are sick or what you do to ensure you don’t get sick.  Heath insurance is the way to pay for that care.

When Democrats say they want to reform healthcare, they are only halfway honest.  They want to “change” healthcare and health insurance – and while they promise that if you like what you have, then you’re on their side, because all that will happen is that your premiums will go down.  Once again, if you believe that, I have some oceanfront property in Kansas that I would love for you to put an offer on.

The “public option” is going to be a taxpayer-funded, government-worker run system to pay for your healthcare.  Now, here’s the KEY POINT.  President Obama would like you to know, especially for you moderately conservative voters who like to hear certain buzzwords, that this public option will create “competition”, and in theory, they are right.  More participants in an industry creates more competition, which would lower the cost of the goods or service provided.  But here is what is conspicuously missing from this argument.  The fact that the Democrats have not been talking this “competition” point up means only one thing – if they did talk it up, they would not be able to back it up, because they know how the discussion would end… Here it is…

The government entering into an industry with private enterprises to create “competition” is no competition at all.  Here’s why… The government is, by default, an unlimited competitor, both in reality in theory.  When the government decides to “compete” in the free market, they will compete for a little while, but then it will begin doing something very dangerous. Government will begin to drive out it’s “competition” by lowering it’s price so low, even if it means losing money for a short period of time.  Thus, when it lowers it’s price enough, people who were in the private sector insurance plan will see the government plan as more attractive, and will switch.  This will either make the private plans lower their premiums more to compete or force them out of business.  If they lower their premiums, they will not be able to provide the same level of benefots once enjoyed by their customers – THE QULAITY OF THEIR CARE WILL GO DOWN.  And of course, if they can’t provide that level of care people were accustomed to, they will lose customers and eventually go out of business.

Thus my theory of Government as the “Unfair Competitor.”  (I’m sure someone has already trademarked this phrase, but this is an important point to make) Governmnet cannot be a fair competitor in any free market system.  It’s resources are unlimited.  If you don’t believe that, simply look at what has happened in the last five months (almost to the day) since President Obama and a Democrat-controlled House and Senate have enjoyed free reign to spend money.  He claims that he will institute PAYGO (pay as you go), essentially a balanced budget, but when will that take place?  After they have passed legislation that could create THE LARGEST SINGLE TRANSFER OF POWER in our nation’s history?  Nah, thay’ll keep on spending, because they made a promise to deliver this new healthcare plan (at least they are doing the right thing and keeping their promises).

This country cannot afford this healthcare strategy, and that is a key point.  It’s not like we just an’t afford this particular plan or that particular plan, but we can’t afford this strategy of the governmnet being involved in healthcare.  And once again, if you would then argue, “Well Michael, we’ve had Medicare, Medicaid, TennCare (here in TN), SCHIP, etc. for years.  What about that?”  Well, what about that?  You think those programs are successful?  Sure they have provided care, but if that is the sole determining factor as to why you think those ideas work – simply that they have provided care – then you could argue that the private plans are just fine the way they are, because they have provided care, too – no change is needed.

And yes, I will restate my ideas to reform the system we have now.  I don’t quite have the time right now, but I will do it very soon. In order for the Democrat’s plan not to be enacted, another plan must provide a better way – and there is one out here.  But adding an “unfair Competitor” to the mix is no competition.  Government cannot compete fairly because of unlimited resources.

Death is not Dying – Cancer

This is, without a doubt, one of the most powerful presentations of the Gospel I have seen in awhile.  It is presented not by a powerful Professor of whatever or Senior Pastor of wherever, but by a wife, a mom, a stay at home mom.

http://deathisnotdying.com/eventvideo/

I’ll leave it to you.  Carve out about an hour to watch it, or do it in bits – you will not spend a more worthwhile 55 minutes doing just about anything else.

Praise God for her life – and may it be said, as she herself says, “Praise God for my death,” that He would be glorified.  You can follow her story at the same website – http://deathisnotdying.com

Worthy is the Lamb Who Was Slain

A blog that I frequent a lot had a link to a video that, to be quite honest, shook me up a little bit.  It is one thing to make statements like the title of this post (”Worthy is the Lamb Who Was Slain.).  It is another thing entirely to make that real.

Imagine yourself in Israel 2500 years ago.  You are a farmer, or a wife or son/daughter of a farmer.  You live a nice little life(for 500 BC standards).  You grow enough food for you and your family, you enjoy your children, you enjoy going to the tabernacle.  But every year, this thing called Passover comes around, and it just tears you up – as it should.

Passover IS the Gospel.  That God would accept the death of an innocent lamb as “payment in full” is the best news ever.  Now imagine your family preparing for Passover.  You don’t just take any lamb in your flock.  You have to take a young lamb, a lamb without any outward spot or inward disease.  Perhaps it’s your favorite, because it is the one that gives the best milk or the one that you think follows your lead the best.  Nonetheless, the Torah is clear – only the best.

So you prepare for Passover.  You make sure all of the food is ready.  You make sure the choice wine is ready.  You have the children all ready, maybe even teaching your older children what you’re doing.

And then it’s time.  Now you take that unblemished lamb, the best of your flock, the one with the most potential, and you take it to the High Priest.  He prepares the lamb.  He shaves its neck to make sure that bare skin is available.  He has his assistants hold the lambs legs.  Imagine being the lamb.  “What are they doing?  Why are they holding me down, and why is everyone chanting and singing.  Now why is it so quiet.  What is this guy doing?”  And the Priest says, “Blessed are you, LORD our God, King of the world, who has sanctified us with his statutes and commanded us concerning the [ritual] slaughtering.” And the priest takes a knife, and with bowl underneath, slits the throat of the lamb.

Now imagine that lamb is a man.

Could you imagine having to kill your own lamb?  How about your own son?

Maybe this helps… (and an explanation of why this is important)

Now imagine that lamb is a man.  Imagine that lamb is your son, your only son.  This is hard to stomach.  It’s not easy.  But this IS the Gospel.  That God would send His Son here, for you, and that His Son, named Jesus, would die in YOUR place.  The name for this is Substitutionary Atonement.  Substitutionary because it is your sin and his death, not his sin and his death or your sin and your death. Atonement because by His death, your sin is atoned for – forgiven, cleaned, taken off the ledger sheet. And not only is your sin taken off the ledger sheet, but you are given the righteousness (perfectness, in God’s eyes) of the Man that just died for you  Both Christ dying for Christ’s sins and you dying for your sins don’t solve the problem.  If you die for your sin, then you can’t live with God.  If Christ dies for Christ’s sin (Christ didn’t have sin, but for argument’s sake), it would be the same thing – it doesn’t take care of us (or him, for that matter).  The only way salvation works is if someone innocent (without sin) does for someone who is sinful.  And that’s what happened two thousand years ago.

Jesus was real.  He died for you, in your place, taking your punishment on Himself, that you would be able to live with Him and God forever. Yes, we can celebrate Easter on Sunday, and yes without the empty tomb, Christ’s death would be pointless.  But the Cross – the alter of the Lamb of God – IS the Gospel.  “Worthy are you to take the scroll and to open its seals, for you were slain, and by your blood you ransomed people for God from every tribe and language and people and nation, and you have made them a kingdom and priests to our God, and they shall reign on the earth.” Revelation 5:9-10.

Kudos to President Obama… really…. well, sort of…

This story is one of the first times that I have been truly proud of an Obama legislative signing (I think in this case, it is an executive order, but nonentheless).  Note: I have been proud of him before, but just not his legislative agenda.

President Obama has signed an executive order that allows federal funding of stem cell research on new lines of stem cells, not just the 20-some-odd lines that were in existence before President Bush limited funding on new lines early in his presidency.  Why am I excited for this?  Well, I’m not actually.  In fact, I am opposed to federal funding for stem cell research for multiple reasons (1.Federal dollars shouldn’t be used for scientific research – The private sector has done more in the avenue of science than the federal government could have ever dreamed of. Private dollars should be used for this sort of thing. 2. I don’t believe that embryos (human lives) should be sifted through,  like we are panning for gold. These are human lives.

What I am happy for is a declaration that federal dollars (under his watch) will not be used for human cloning research.  Obama calls it “dangerous” and “profoundly wrong.”  I applaud my president for taking a stand on a moral issue.  He should be commended for this.

There will be a time and a place to discuss this action further.  Plenty can be said about the reasons for this decision, but today, our president should be commended for one stand he took.

My hope is that whatever moral backbone birthed this decision would start to permeate other areas of his legislative policy, including embryological stem cell research and abortion

A Political Rant…

Well, so much for that… I guess that he wont be able to swoop in and save the day.  So he might as well keep on trying to keep his popularity/job approval ratings high by campaigning.  Nah, trying to fix the problem is overrated.  Just keep it going.  Fly around the country (because that’s a good use of money and “carbon resources”) and have pep rallies.  What are you,  a cheerleader now?

Oh yeah, I’m talking about President Obama (that still hurts to say…).  America needs leadership, Mr. President, not pep rallies.  America needs solutions, not worn-out spending policies.  Tell me the sense of spending almost a trillion dollars when the way that the problem started was spending.  All that does is make the Chinese happy, since they own so much of our debt anyway.  At least someone is happy in all this mess.

The thing is, Democrats are not too far off on some things.  Apparently, this new bill will put like $10 more in everyone’s paycheck every two weeks.  Well that’s a start at least, but the problem is there is no sustained effect (apparently, this program is only good for two years, then all will be well and we can start taxing people more).  If you don’t believe me, that’s exactly why it is only two years – they want to throw a bone to fiscal conservatives (people who know that less taxation spurs growth) and then pull it about the time public opinion is on their side. The other problem with the $10/every other week thing is that it isn’t enough.  $260?  Really?  Really… Thanks, man, I appreciate that.  Now I can finally do something with my life.  and yes, unless I did the math wrong, this amounts to $520 TOTAL… in a course of two years, you’re going to give me back $520  of my own money.  That barely keeps up with inflation caused by you printing more money than we have available (inflation).  Appreciate it, big guy…

Here’s my solution… pull the bill.  Scrap it entirely… start listing things that spur economic growth, not just temporary employment.  Someone a lot smarter than me said about this stimulus plan that the bulk of the plan is going to increase work, but it won’t do a thing to increase the number of JOBS.  JOBS will ALWAYS provide work, but work is temporary.  Once the “work” is over with, your “job” is over.  Once again, typical Washington… smoke and mirrors.

Next, immediately cut the corporate tax in half.  And cut it in half again in two years.  If companies aren’t sending as much in taxes to Uncle Sam, they will have more money to pay workers to make their products, and more workers mean more PRODUCTION.  PRODUCTION means wages, wages mean JOBS, jobs means GROWTH.  Kind of a big deal…

Finally, quit telling people you’re going to fix their problems.  How arrogant… How presumptuous to lie to people and tell them that you will help them.  At least tell them the truth… that the ONLY reason their mortgage interest rate will be reduced is because you forecefully took money from someone wealthier, money that that person worked hard for and that person earned.  Tell them that the ONLY reason that they will have paid for health insurance is that you took money from someone who pays for their own health insurance (sometimes completely) and signed someone else up health insurance that the PERSON PAYING FOR IT ISN’T EVEN USING!  It’s like going into the grocery store and having a gallon of milk in your hand, paying for it, and the bagger handing it to someone else  and them downing it.  This is not a winning gameplan, folks…

Stop lying, President Obama.  Stop being arrogant.  Stop being presumptuous.  And seriously, stop thinking that YOU  “have to do something” or else it’ll get worse.  The more YOU do, the worse it gets.  That’s pretty evident, don’t ‘cha think?

Sincerely,

A tired-of-this-nonsense, Concerned Citizen

I couldn’t say it any better…

This link right here will take you to Desiring God’s blog, a blog written in large part by John Piper, Pastor of Bethlehm Baptist Church in Minneapolis, MN, and prolific author… also a hero of mine in the arena of Christian thought, theology, and apologetics.

Barack Obama has selected V. Gene Robinson to deliver a prayer and address to a kick-off event for his inauguration this weekend.  On Sunday, the Lord’s Day, an openly gay individual who is in a “homosexual sexual” relationship will don his religious attire, and with the blessing of the Episcopal Church in America, oversee a religious service.  This is wrong on so many fronts.  And as the titles usggests, everything I wanted to say, John Piper has said.

This might be redundancy, but my only comment is this – and I have said this every time the issue of homosexuality has come up.  If you are not a Christian, the Biblical arguments against homosexuality will not make sense.  If you are a Christian, the ONLY right course of action against these types of overtures is what Piper has noted.  There is no middle ground.  If you aren’t a Christian, homsexuality may or may not be offensive to you.  But to hide behind a clergy’s robe, to don the Cross of Christ, to lead a church, and to do it all unrepentant of sin in your life is a blasphemy.  If you are going to make a choice to sin, don’t hide behind the Bible.  Those who do obviously don’t know their Bible very well and make a mockery of the Christian faith.

And on another note, this question has come up a couple of times , so let me answer it the way I see it. One person asked me, “Is homosexuality a deal-breaker?” The person was really asking about the time that the Evangelical Church spent on the issue.  The answer,  I think, is yes and no.  Yes, because it is sin.  The Bible clearly teaches that homosexuality is a sin.  No, because there is other sin that the Evangelical chruch can teach about.  Let me say it a different way.  If my church decided that they will not admit to membership an individual who is openly homosexual, living in a “homosexual sexual” relationship, then they SURELY shouldn’t admit to membership an individual who is heterosexual but living in an extramarital affair, sleeping with their boyfriend/girlfriend, or any other sexual imorality defined by the Bible.  The chruch has, to some extent, lost its voice on the issue of homosexuality because they don’t apply the same standard (at least publicly) to heterosexual immorality as it does to homosexual immorality.  For the record, my church does hold the same standards – if you are living in a sexual relationship outside the bounds of marriage, you will not become a member of our Church.  That is Biblical, and that is the posture that the Church (the body of Christ) should take.

But the issue of Gene Robinson will not go away.  The next four years might mark the greatest growth of the “religious homosexual” movement we have seen in awhile.  May God grant us the patience, grace, and mercy to speak strongly and love justly.

Christmas IS the Gospel

I realize that his post is late… I realize Christmas was a month ago, but I hope you will forgive me and realize that, even a month later than the recognized day to “celebrate,” the truth of Christmas is always with us.  Interestingly enough, that is what this post is all about.  Enjoy…

Advent is upon us. It started snowing a lot last week where I am.  I also know it is Christmas because the parking lot at the mall is full, which is kind of sad.  Nothing like celebrating Christ’s birth with consumerism.

I want to draw you attention to an old post that that I wrote almost a year ago called The Unity of the Bible.  I was prompted to write about this because of a sermon I heard from Allistair Begg (great guy by the way).  The premise of the sermon is that the whole Bible is about Jesus.  The Old Testament is about the coming of Jesus, the Gospels are about what He did, Acts is about the explosion of Christianity right after his ascension into Heaven, the epistles is about the impact of the Gospel on our lives, and Revelation is about His Second Coming.

Today I want to take a piece of that and expand it for you in light of the Christmas season.  Plainly, Christmas IS the Gospel.  The story of Christmas tells and shows the Gospel in an important way.  Granted, the Cross is not part of the Christmas story, but the Cross is irrelevant without the Bethlehem stable.  Ultimately, the empty grave is what gives us hope.  As Paul said in I Corinthians 15, “12 Now if Christ is proclaimed as raised from the dead, how can some of you say that there is no resurrection of the dead? 13 But if there is no resurrection of the dead, then not even Christ has been raised. 14 And if Christ has not been raised, then our preaching is in vain and your faith is in vain. 15 We are even found to be misrepresenting God, because we testified about God that  he raised Christ, whom he did not raise if it is true that the dead are not raised. 16 For if the dead are not raised, not even Christ has been raised. 17 And if Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile and you are still in your sins. 18 Then those also who have fallen asleep in Christ have perished. 19 If in Christ we have hope in this life only, we are of all people most to be pitied.”  If Jesus had not risen from the grave, we would have no reason to believe that we could be risen with him, out of sinfulness and into adoption as His child.  But the empty grave doesn’t happen without the Cross, which doesn’t happen without the manger.

Jesus came in the form of a baby, the most innocent and helpless of all creatures.  He left the splendor of heaven for the confines of a dirty pig trough.  No doctor, no midwife, no nurse, just Mary, Joseph, and a few farm animals.  Splendor for simplicity.  Glory for darkness.  Heaven for earth.  Does that sound familiar?  Does it sound like the condition He finds our hearts in when He calls us to salvation?  He saves us, having His shed blood cover our sinfulness – not just the lust in our hearts, the greed of our eyes, the malice in our minds, and the dishonesty that digs itself into every crevice of our lives – He covers our state.  Our state is sinfulness.  Our state is helpless, hopeless, and dire.  We are lost without Him.  We are hell-bound (literally) without Him.  And yet He covers it all.  Paid in full.  The debt is taken care of.  Not written off, as a bank would write off a loan that an individual defaulted on, but paid for, as in the bank President writing a check out of his personal account to fulfill the obligation.  None of that happens without the manger.  The manger is pointless if there isn’t a sacrafice (Hebrews 9:22 – Indeed, under the law almost everything is purified with blood, and without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness of sins.”).  And wthout an empty tomb, our hope of being rescued from eternal life separated from God stayed in the grave with a rotting corpse.

So the point is, enjoy Christmas.  Enjoy the gifts that you receive from family and friends.  Enjoy the smells (including the Yankee Candles thast smell so good).  Enjoy the good food that Grandma makes.  Enjoy Manheim Steamroller, Amy Grant, James Taylor, and all of the other music you like.  But enjoy them in the larger context of what Christmas IS – the Gospel.  All of these are gifts that you would not, have had HE not died  Good news indeed.  Merry Christmas, and may this new year bring you closer to Him.

Evangelicals believe in Universalism?

Thanks for bearing with me as I took a few weeks off for Christmas.  I hope that your Christmas was as good as mine.  Yes, spending time with family is fun, and celebrating the different traditions that are parts of our Christmases “makes the day special,” but Christmas IS because it celebrates the birth of our Savior, Jesus Christ.

I ran across this story a couple of days ago, lost it, and then (fortunately for you) found it again.   I was shocked.  I probably shouldn’t be, but I am.  This story in this funny little script proves statistically what many Christian leaders have thought for some time.  A majority of Christians believe that many different religions lead to eternal life, and a majority (52%) of Christians believe that even non-Christian faiths lead to eternal life.  80% of those who believe this way can name at least one non-Christian faith that leads to eternal life.  30% of those Christians polled believe that one’s beliefs determine eternal life.  What is equally disturbing is that the study finds that 29% of Christians – nearly 1/3 of those polled – believed that eternal life is based upon one’s actions.

I’ll let you read the story from Pew Forum if you’d like – this is the same link as above.

Keep in mind that the study finds that only 30% of Christians polled believe that their beliefs determine eternal life.  What this tells me is that 70% of Americans don’t know their Bible.  Since 1950 or so, the Church has had the most access to the Word of God and the best resources to spread the Word of God to the world around them.  Yet 70% of those polled in 2008 respond in an un-Biblical way.  Now it is certainly possible that some people did not understand the question, or that some people were overthinking, but let’s just assume that that was 20 % (way too much, but for argument’s sake, let’s say that.)  That mean’s that 1/2 of all EVANGELICALS DON:T KNOW THEIR BIBLE WELL ENOUGH TO KNOW THAT UNIVERSALISM IS NOT TRUE, BIBLICALLY-SPEAKING.  Typically Evangelicals are told that they cling to the bible too much, and that they need to relax the standards a little bit.  This poll proves all evidence to the contrary.

The Church is God’s method of spreading His glory and His majesty.  Salvation is through grace alone (Sola Gratia), by faith alone (Sola Fide), through Christ alone (Sola Christus), via the Word of God alone (Sola Scriptura), and for the glory of God alone 9Soli Deo Gloria).  This is what the Bible says, over and over again.  This poll should be a wake-up call to you, me, and our churches that something isn’t right, and it needs to be fixed.  The Word of God should be ultimate on Sunday mornings.  Worship is a vital part of a service, but not so much as the preaching of the Word of God (which is worhsip).  Community groups / Sunday School / Small groups are important and need to be continued, for the Christian life is menat to be lived in communion with others.  But the Word of God should be read, discussed, and prayed over on Sunday mornings.

When 70 % of Evangelicals can’t answer a question in a Biblical manner, it is a sign that the Church is not doing a good job in it’s mission.  Pray for your own church.  Pray for the church down the road.  Pray for The Church (the holy catholic church, as the creeds say) that the Word of God might be preached with accuracy, fervor, and authenticity, and that hearts will be elted and changed, for God’s glory.

Barack Obama’s Christianity

This link will take you to a transcript of an interview that Barack Obama did with Cathleen Falsani of beliefnet.com.  The interview was conducted in the Spring of 2004, right as Barack Obama was entering the major political stage.  In 8 months, he would be elected to the United States Senate from Illinois.  This was five months before his keynote speech at the Democratic National Convention, where most pundits believe he solidified his place in major politics.

Please read the the interview before you read my thoughts, as they will not make sense unless you read the actual interview first.

This interview, as much as anything that I have ever seen before, perfectly demonstrates the need for Christians to pray for their leaders.  In fact, the need is a command from God (as shown in my last post).  All too often, I hear and see great mobilizations from the evangelical voting block when a Republican occupies the White House (don’t your remember all the stickers for the Presidential Prayer Team in Bush 43’s first term?).  I might be missing them, but I simply don’t see them when a Democrat is in the White House… that is, until the end of the term and you see bumper stickers that say, “Pray for the Election,” “Vote on Values,” etc.  Those are political statements designed to support a candidate, not pray for your leader.  This is one of the biggest criticisms that non-evangelicals have about Evangelical voters, and I think that it is a fair criticism. But the following shows why our President-Elect, should be prayed for as fervently as any other President.

________________________________________________________________________________________________________

FALSANI:
What do you believe?

OBAMA:
I am a Christian.

So, I have a deep faith. So I draw from the Christian faith… So, I’m rooted in the Christian tradition. I believe that there are many paths to the same place, and that is a belief that there is a higher power, a belief that we are connected as a people…

I became much more familiar with the ongoing tradition of the historic black church and it’s importance in the community.

And the power of that culture to give people strength in very difficult circumstances, and the power of that church to give people courage against great odds. And it moved me deeply.

So that, one of the churches I met, or one of the churches that I became involved in was Trinity United Church of Christ. And the pastor there, Jeremiah Wright, became a good friend. So I joined that church and committed myself to Christ in that church.

_______________________________________________________________________________________________________

Jesus, for who Christianity is named, says, “I am the way, the truth, and the life.  No one comes to the Father except through me.” Therefore, I am deeply troubled when Mr. Obama says that he believes there are many paths to the same point.  This belief is incongruent with the Bible.

Secondly, the importance of the historic black church to its community is not bad in and of itself.  Many communities find strength, comfort, peace in their church, and it is a place to find it.  However, Mr. Obama has demonstrated the belief that the church is equally responsible for promoting the social gospel as much as it promotes the Gospel of Jesus Christ, of Christ crucified for the forgiveness of sin.  This is incongruent with the Bible.
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________

FALSANI:
Who’s Jesus to you?

(He laughs nervously)

OBAMA:
Right.

Jesus is an historical figure for me, and he’s also a bridge between God and man, in the Christian faith, and one that I think is powerful precisely because he serves as that means of us reaching something higher.

And he’s also a wonderful teacher. I think it’s important for all of us, of whatever faith, to have teachers in the flesh and also teachers in history.
OBAMA:
Where do you move forward with that?

This is something that I’m sure I’d have serious debates with my fellow Christians about. I think that the difficult thing about any religion, including Christianity, is that at some level there is a call to evangelize and prostelytize. There’s the belief, certainly in some quarters, that people haven’t embraced Jesus Christ as their personal savior that they’re going to hell.

FALSANI:
You don’t believe that?

OBAMA:
I find it hard to believe that my God would consign four-fifths of the world to hell.

I can’t imagine that my God would allow some little Hindu kid in India who never interacts with the Christian faith to somehow burn for all eternity.

That’s just not part of my religious makeup.
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________

I hate to play semantics (and it might be just that), but why is the first description of who Jesus is include “a historical figure?”  If Jesus, to Barack Obama, is first and foremost the “bridge between God and man,” why not say it first?  Am I reading into this more than I should?

I don’t think so, and here is why.  He says that the “difficult” thing about most religions, including Christianity, is the call to evangelize and proselytize.”  By this, I assume he means the difficulty in defending it to people who do not believe in God and people who are not Christians.  He then says that in some quarters [of Christianity], there is a belief that those who do not accept Jesus as their personal savior are going to hell.  Mr. Obama, that is what the Bible says.  If you do not accept Jesus Christ as your personal savior, you will not go to Heaven.  It is not acceptable to say “some quarters of Christianity,” as if it were some throwaway doctrine of the Bible.  It is a part of the Gospel, for if someone does not accept Jesus as their personal savior and still goes to Heaven, why accept Jesus at all?

Here is the big issue with this statement. If people who do not accept Jesus as their personal Savior are not going to hell, there is no need to evangelize.  However, if people who do not accept Jesus as their personal Savior are going to hell, then you MUST evangelize.  There is a compulsion to do do so out of love, so that they would not go to hell. Mr. Obama, your belief is incongruent with the Bible.  Again, John 14:6 says, I am the way, the truth, and the life.  No one comes to the Father except through me.”  That means that if you come to the Father another way, you never came.  You are still, as the Bible calls it, in your sin.  Romans 3:22-23 says, “the righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ for all who believe. For there is no distinction: for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.”  Romans 6:23 says, “For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.”

If Barack Obama does not believe that God would consign 4/5 of the world to hell, why would he believe in Christianity at all?  If the world can still believe something different and everybody gets to the same place, than why not just leave Christianity on the table completely?

The issue here is that what Barack Obama believes about Christianity is simply not Biblical.  He wants to take the parts of the Bible that work for him and that fit his particular taste, but not believe those parts of the Bible that he might find distasteful.  But that is simply not Biblical.  It strikes at the very heart of what Christianity is all about.  Mr. Obama claims that his God would not send a Hindu boy who has never interacted with the Christian faith to hell.  But an equally valid question is, “So why believe that He would save you, Mr. Obama.  If God (or Jesus) isn’t who He says he is on one front, how can we trust ANYTHING He says on any other matter?”

Mr. Obama, the Bible is clear on this issue.  The Word of God is our ONLY source as to who God is and who He says He is.  Therefore, if even one part of the Gospel is a considered to be distasteful, the whole thing must be thrown out.

So I pray for you, Mr. Obama.  I pray that the Bible would become so crystal clear in your life that you would see it for what it is.  I pray that God would speak to you through His Holy Spirit, that you would be “cut to the heart” with the Gospel, the one and true Gospel, as Acts 2:37 says.  I pray that your wife and your daughters would know the “good news,” like in Biblical times, when the man would come to know Christ and the Bible says “he and all his household.”  I pray that those around you would live a life that points you to the only understanding of the Gospel – that man is a sinner, totally unable to save himself; that God made a way for man to be saved of his sin, but that the way, the only way, is by salvation in Jesus Christ, by grace, through faith.

President-Elect Obama (and what it means for you, for me, and for the glory of God)

I have purposely held off in commenting on the election this past Tuesday until I had a chance to hear some of the victory speech that Barack Obama gave this past week in what was a more impressive victory than I had imagined.  My prediction, as you may or may not recall, was a victory of 300-310 for Obama, with McCain pulling down about 230 electoral votes. I was wrong on North Carolina and Virginia. as well as the ever-pivotal Florida.

First a personal note…  I did not vote for Barack Obama.  I did not vote for john McCain either.  For a purely political statement, I voted for Bob Barr, the candidate for the Libertarian Party.  I disagree with some of the Libertarian Party’s platform pieces, but my goal was to make a statement to the Republican Party, namely to start being Republicans again.  This election would have been much closer, if not different, had the Republican Party stuck to what they had done best – championing  limited government, values of everyday people, and keeping national security at the forefront of the country’s mind.

Barack Obama and I disagree on numerous issues.  We agree on few issues.  Yet God is still sovereign.  His choice for this election is President-Elect Barack Obama, and as a Christian, I am to respect, honor, and pray for him… and I will.

On one hand, I am very proud of our country.  Even though I am not old enough to remember life under an era of Jim Crow laws, separate but equal, etc., I am old enough (and from a geographic region of the country – Birmingham, AL) to see the disasterous effects of those laws and the deep racial divides that have resulted from those tensions.  The election of a black president is historic and should be remembered as such.  The Church should never be a hindrance to the process of ensuring racial harmony, as Christ intends to have a very colorful bride (see Revelation 7:9).

On another hand, I am disappointed.  Not because we elected a black president, but because the president that we elected (black or otherwise) is Biblically wrong on the issues most important to my heart, chief among them the murder of the unborn.  It would make my heart leap for joy if Barack Obama would be so overcome with the vileness of abortion that he would change his mind.  But a change of heart comes first, and only God can change hearts.  I earnestly pray that he would do so in the heart of Barack Obama, Joe Biden, and their advisers.

I am also disappointed for the Church, and let me explain.  (This might be a stretch, but follow along… and if you disagree, feel free to post a comment… I always like to see what others think.  Your comment will be posted so long as it is not rude, vulgar, or obscene)  Here it goes… The Church is losing its voice in an arena it should be heard loud and clear in.  The Church is God’s chief agent of change in the world. No candidate, Republican or Democrat, Black or White, Liberal or Conservative is a bigger agent of change in the world than the Church – loving each other and the world around them. That is why I am disappointed, because with the promises that I have heard made from Obama, the Church will not get to demonstrate the love of Christ so grandly as it as before.  By no means am I saying that it is doing everything it can – all evidence to the contrary.  The Church needs to do more, but they will not get the opportunity to (as well) with the election of a President who wants to do things that the Church should/could be doing.  Even if, as under our current President, Faith-based Initiatives are called upon to house the homeless, feed the hungry, clothe the naked, etc, will God get as much glory as if it were not using any tax-payer money?  The answer to that question is, “Yes and No.”  Yes because God will always receive the glory, and that His Word (The Gospel) does not return void – it accomplishes what God intends for it to accomplish (Isaiah 55:11).  But no because the government would be viewed as the benefactor, not God.  Barack Obama is the savior, not the Lord of Lords.

I know you already know thee references, but repetition is important.  I Timothy 2:1-3 commands us to pray “for all people, kings and those in high positions.” Romans 13:1-7 says, “Let every person be subject to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and those that exist have been instituted by God. Therefore whoever resists the authorities resists what God has appointed, and those who resist will incur judgment. For rulers are not a terror to good conduct, but to bad. Would you have no fear of the one who is in authority? Then do what is good, and you will receive his approval, for he is God’s servant for your good. But if you do wrong, be afraid, for he does not bear the sword in vain. For he is the servant of God, an avenger who carries out God’s wrath on the wrongdoer. Therefore one must be in subjection, not only to avoid God’s wrath but also for the sake of conscience. For because of this you also pay taxes, for the authorities are ministers of God, attending to this very thing. Pay to all what is owed to them: taxes to whom taxes are owed, revenue to whom revenue is owed, respect to whom respect is owed, honor to whom honor is owed.” Psalm 22:28 proclaims, “For kingship belongs to the Lord, and he rules over the nations.”

And as I have pointed out before, “May the Lord do what seems good to Him” (II Samuel 10:12).

SDG!
MD