Monday, December 30, 2013

Merry Christmas

Friday and Saturday my family and I traveled home to visit the "rest of the family".  On our way home we were passing through a town ( I wish I could remember which one) and I noticed their town hall sign said Merry Christmas.   This shocked me.

I was thinking wow, the town actually put that on their sign.  With all the push of the ACLU and other "non-religious" organizations to remove any mention of Christ during the Christmas season I was shocked to see this.
Then it hit me.  We have been so deseneitized as a society that we have come to expect the removal of Christianity from our society.  This is what has happened to us.  We have been inundated in so many different ways..

Now there is an expectation about what should happen.  It has almost become natural.  What I learned is that is how it works.  Not just one instance but over and over again.  Newspaper articles, tv ads, stores, and many other areas.

In foreign countries we call it propaganda.  Websters reminds us:

pro·pa·gan·da

\ˌprä-pə-ˈgan-də, ˌprō-\ : ideas or statements that are often false or exaggerated and that are spread in order to help a cause, a political leader, a government, etc.

I am not trying to be a conspiracy fear monger.  I am not even sure if there is a big planned agenda. I just know that when something is popular people get on the band wagon not thinking about the future consequences. 

What happens is one day we wake up and our Christian surroundings is no longer there.

My goal has been to make sure I remind myself and my family about what Christian values really are.  If we are not teaching then who is? and what do they believe?



Sunday, December 22, 2013

My Response to Phil Robertson

My heart is heavy as I read all the events of this week.  As most of you know by now Phil Robertson has been suspended from the Duck Dynasty show because of his remarks toward homosexuals. (He did say a few things on race issues but homosexuality has been the main topic.)

Duck Dynasty for many represents Christian values and morality.,  They have over 11 million viewers and are by far the biggest show on A&E.  They have a $400 million dollars business.  Phil Robertson is the head of the family.

Personally I am disappointed in the approach that Phil has taken.  I believe that his crude statements could have been better spoken.  When we as Christians stand for our Biblical values we must state them in respect for others.  I am all for Phil speaking his mind and standing for what the Bible believes but I wish he would speak it with less crudeness.

That being said this is less about a mans words and more about a difference in what the Bible teaches and what the agenda of the homosexual movement is trying to achieve.  All week long I have read and heard stories of their agenda being pushed.  A Methodist pastor goes against his church's teaching and marries a gay couple, the courts tell the states that their laws upholding marriage between one man and one woman to be unconstitutional, and the courts say that a business owner must bake cake and take pictures at a gay wedding or shut down.

This is running rapid and what we believe is not taken into consideration.   Christian beliefs are considered acharic and mean.  We are told that all we must do is love and never talk about evil. Yet to love means also to say what is wrong.

So what should our respone be?

1. Yes when we speak the truth always speak the truth in love. Ephesians 4:15
    We need to check our heart before we speak.
2. Let what we believe be based in scripture.  Let the scripture speak for it self. 2 Timothy 2:15
     The Bible has been around and survived a lot longer than we have.
3. Hold fast to our profession of faith and what we believe.  Hebrews 10:23
     We have a right to what we believe.
4. Know who our enemy is.  We are not battling flesh and blood but the enemy. Ephesians 6:12
    We are not fighting the person but the enemy.
5. Know that no matter what happens God has a plan. Jeremiah 29:11

Thanks for letting me express.  What do you think?