Christianity 101 | Ain't Complicated

When Freedom Feels Like a Void

I read this article yesterday. It’s sad, really.

Years ago, I was a Sunday school teacher. Attended church every week. Read the King James Bible for fun. Believed as much as I could, as sincerely as I could.

Then I moved to Portland, an unchurched city in one of the nation’s least religious states, and joined the ranks of people who don’t regularly attend services and barely know where to start. I don’t miss it much…

Suddenly, the blessed freedom of living in an unchurched city feels more like a void.Read it all

Committed to Dangerous Aid

Turmoil has severely limited food and other necessities in several countries across the Middle East and North Africa. Aid is in high demand. Churches and individual believers are responding, but very much at their own risk.

[…]

In a region where believers are often threatened even during peace time, Christians are especially at risk now–even when they’re doling out desperately-needed aid.

“We think humanitarian effort and helping people in conflict is something everyone will respond to favorably. But they [Christians] know that as they do this, this actually makes them more visible, and it actually puts them in more danger, more in harm’s way,” says BGR’s Jeff Palmer.

[…]

“They choose to do this because the love of Christ compels them,” Palmer explains. “They can’t sit and watch this as people suffer. They can’t watch and not take advantage of what’s happening right now to help people and to make Christ known.”

As believers continue literally to risk their lives for the sake of serving others throughout the Middle East and North Africa, pray for God to provide them with courage and wisdom.

Source: Even Christian aid workers not safe in volatile regions

PS: You could also add love and faithfulness to that prayer list.

The Lord is my light and my salvation: whom shall I fear? the Lord is the strength of my life: of whom shall I be afraid? — He giveth power to the faint; and to them that have no might he increaseth strength. Even the youths shall faint and be weary, and the young men shall utterly fall: but they that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint. — My flesh and my heart faileth: but God is the strength of my heart, and my portion for ever.

If God be for us, who can be against us? — The Lord is on my side; I will not fear: what can man do unto me? — Through thee will we push down our enemies: through thy name will we tread them under that rise up against us. — We are more than conquerors through him that loved us.

Arise therefore, and be doing, and the Lord be with thee.

JOSH. 1:18. Psa. 27:1. -Isa. 40:29?31. -Psa. 73:26. Rom. 8:31. -Psa. 118:6. -Psa. 44:5. -Rom. 8:37. I Chr. 22:16.

Thank you, Sam!

Ooops. This was sitting among my drafts since 6:47 am on March 30, 2011.

Faith and the Naked Word of God

Faith has nothing to do with feelings or with impressions, with improbabilities or with outward experiences. If we desire to couple such things with faith, then we are no longer resting on the Word of God, because faith needs nothing of the kind. Faith rests on the naked Word of God. When we take Him at His Word, the heart is at peace.

— George Müller.

HT: Sorry. I forget where I read this almost a week ago. 🙁

Homosexual Rights Trump Religious Rights

I know this is from the United Kingdom, but still….

In a landmark judgment, which will have a serious impact on the future of fostering and adoption in the UK, the High Court has suggested that Christians with traditional views on sexual ethics are unsuitable as foster carers, and that homosexual ‘rights’ trump freedom of conscience in the UK. The Judges stated that Christian beliefs on sexual ethics may be ‘inimical’ to children, and they implicitly upheld an Equalities and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) submission that children risk being ‘infected’ by Christian moral beliefs.

Today’s ruling relates to the dispute between married couple Eunice and Owen Johns and Derby City Council. The Johns applied to the Council in 2007 to foster a child but the Council blocked their application because they objected that the Johns were not willing to promote the practise of homosexuality to a young child. In November 2010 both parties jointly asked the Court to rule on whether the Johns were able to foster children, or whether they could be excluded from doing so under equality law because of their Christian beliefs.

Today (28th February) that judgment has been released. The judges declined to make the statement that the Johns, wanting to re-establish their fostering application, had sought. Instead, the judgment strongly affirms homosexual rights over freedom of conscience and leaves the Johns currently unable to foster a child as desired, despite their proven track record as foster parents. There now appears to be nothing to stop the increasing bar on Christians who wish to adopt or foster children but who are not willing to compromise their beliefs by promoting the practise of homosexuality to small children.

Source: High Court Judgment suggests Christian beliefs harmful to children. Fostering by Christians now in doubt.

And here’s a March 4 update: Johns Fostering Case: Effects of the Ruling and Further Analysis

Jew

It is very difficult to hate babies.

It takes a special person.

[…]

But the human being does have to learn to hate children and babies, and to regard the torture and murder of them as morally desirable acts. It takes years of work to undo normal protective human attitudes toward children.

That is precisely what the Nazis did and what significant parts of the Muslim world have done to the word “Jew.”

[…]

Yet, when Pakistan was yanked from India and established as a Muslim state at the very same time Israel was established, that act engendered 12.5 million Muslim refugees and about a million dead Muslims (and similar numbers of Hindu refugees and deaths). Why then doesn’t “Hindu” equal “Jew” in the Muslim lexicon of hate?

Here are some answers in brief:

You can read the full article here: The Other Tsunami.

Know this, though: Matters will get worse. Much worse. And it will seem even more normal. And nothing by which to get unduly exercised. As has abortion. Which also takes “a special person” to perform, accept, tolerate, and/or ignore.

The Fogel Family

Christians, don’t forget this: Americans, Arabs, Hindus, Japanese, Jews — we all need Jesus to the exact same degree.

Counting Trials as Joy

“Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds . . .” (James 1:2).

Have you ever met a person who actually, literally did what this verse says? I have. Marilyn (not her real name) phoned and told me that her husband has been diagnosed with prostate cancer, her son is recovering from multiple stab wounds inflicted by a crazed stranger in Center City, and her daughter-in-law is so weakened by some bizarre condition that she is unable to hold her newborn. And she was radiating joy.

Marilyn figured that God must be really up to something! He must be really shaking things up for a good purpose for all this to be coming down at once. This, she reasoned, must be nothing other than the “testing of faith” of verse 3 that issues in a new level of “steadfastness,” whose “full effect” makes “perfect and complete” (verse 4). Marilyn wants that “perfect and complete” thing, for herself and for her family. She wants it more than she wants their or her health.

[…]

I know that Marilyn’s counting all of her inherently difficult circumstances as joy is accompanied by a fair amount of muscular thinking and believing. Her logic seems to be this: God is love; He sends trial to build faith; He will reward tenacious faith with something wonderful that no eye can see nor ear can hear nor the heart of man can conceive. Immediately, that understanding of Marilyn’s yields a quiet hope and a joy. It turns out that God really does keep at perfect peace the heart that is steadfast, because it trusts in Him (Isaiah 26:3). Who’d have thought it?

I accept that.

To such an extent that I want to live it.

But I haven’t enjoyed the pain in the process.

PS: Be sure to read the whole piece; I left out several paragraphs: Counting all difficulties as joy.