The Gate of Confusion

It should be noted that God divides men at Babel not by race, nor intelligence nor vocation or station in life. He allows their division by language. A unit or commonality to all people. I again believe people are being divided by language. This time much more subtly. Most are speaking English as a universal language but words within English are being bastardized and deliberately confused so that they do not mean the same thing to people in the same society and it is happening quickly. Tolerance, hate, science, infrastructure, terrorist, etc. 

The same errors or sin repeated this time much more subtly and communicated much more efficiently via mass media. The result the same. The confusion that ensues is punishment because no one can communicate properly. People scattering all in their own directions. They splinter and divide. [ I find it interesting that Pentecost or salvation reverses this effect ]. When division starts the kingdom leaves. When division stops unification is possible and the Kingdom returns. Or perhaps it is the Kingdom doing the unifying?

It is further ironic that when one seeks to control another in chattel slavery one of the main things restricted and prevented is the ability of the slave to read and write or communication in an organized, coherent, formal institutionalized way. We saw it in the Dark Ages with the Catholic church and in the Antebellum South in the United States.

It therefore should come as no surprise that the word Babel in Hebrew has two different meanings based on who is using the word. In Hebrew it means 'confusion'. In the tongue of the Babylonians who used the term in their self-identity of Babylon it meant, "gate to God" or essentially 'truth'. The Babylonians are essentially claiming truth or the path to truth... but God is essentially saying, no, you are confusion. Babylon or failure to communicate and division equates today to the things of the world not of God, and are confusion. To those of the world or Babylon although they believe they are the gate to God, truth or the thing that will bring or ring in the unity of the Kingdom of God. Instead they are bringing something wholly other...inferior. Nefarious and godless.

1 Corinthians 14:33 …for God is not a God of confusion but of peace, as in all the churches of the saints.

In 1 Corinthians 14:33 it is translated ἀκαταστασία/akatastasia or confusion and in James it is translated disorder. It is actually a compound Greek word formed from (a) meaning not, (kata) meaning down and (stasis) meaning stand/steady. Together it means "cannot remain steady". It literally means something is unstable or it is an instability brought on by disorder. In the case of Babel not only disorder of language but the disorder of society brought on by the confusion of language unsettles the entirety of the human population. We are seeing the same now. The confusion brought on by the purposeful confusion of language is causing complete societal disorder, division and violence. So why would chaos and confusion reign in Babel and the world today if they are still God's creation under his providence? Because, man has rejected God. The fear of God is the beginning of wisdom but ignoring God and the absence of God is chaos. The world worships a god of confusion but a wise man worships the true God.

Our society prides itself on multiculturalism and unity in diversity. There are many cases where this is a good thing. True diversity is indeed an asset to not only the Body of Christ but also our nation. One man’s weakness can be another man’s strength. Additionally, gasoline in the right environment can make a vehicle go but used incorrectly or with evil intent and it can be used to make a Molotov cocktail. Mixing and using differences can always be used to suit God’s good purposes. Just like anything else that the Devil can counterfeit, it can be used for destructive ends…even subtly as in the manipulation of words. This is where the word diversity and confusion begin to fuse and become almost indistinguishable. It takes a diversity of people mixed chaotically together to cause a confusing uproar. This is not a good diversity.

It is here we see that there are types of melding that just shouldn’t take place. The reason they shouldn’t be mixed is because they cause chaos, not unity. They cause disunity and mayhem. It is the exact idea gleaned from 1 Corinthians 14:33 and the fact that God is not a God of confusion. By removing God from the equation, disorder reigns. The absence of God’s presence allow it to happen. God Himself is order and maintains order. So to remove Him from any given situation is to produce disorder. Remove God and still use the same words and you still get confusion.

The restraint of God’s grace is removed and the sin and evil of man enters in its place like a spiritual vacuum. This is exactly what we see in Babel. It is also what we see today. It is the idea in the word translated uprisings. In the End Times when people ignore or turn away from God…there will be more war, disorder and confusion. Chaos will reign. 

That is why the Apostle Luke says of the End Times: 

“When you hear of wars and uprisings, do not be frightened. These things must happen first, but the end will not come right away. Then he said to them: Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will be great earthquakes, famines and pestilences in various places, and fearful events and great signs from heaven. Luke 21:9-11

The word uprisings here? You guessed it, it is ἀκαταστασίας/akatastasias again….confusion will reign in the last days. The lord of confusion and division. That is because God will be, for all effective purposes...absent and that will be its own punishment.

The Soul’s Master: Why Marxism Fails

In a sentence Socialism and inevitably Communism manifest the characteristics of chattel slavery. The theory underlying Marxism is a form of spiritual chattel slavery. It makes people property physically and spiritually. It is therefore ironic that those pushing it the hardest are those that speak out so vehemently against racism and the idea that any person should be subjugated or enslaved. Yet this is exactly what they are attempting to foist on the populous and their constituents. That means that (1) They are completely clueless to what they are promulgating or (2) They know exactly what they are doing and should be considered  threats to democracy and a free nation. Marxism promotes slavery of all to all. Government institutionalized and mandated slavery. Slowly the United States is slouching towards this bondage.

As history has shown, communism must either fail utterly or develop itself into a rigid system of slavery. There is no real middle ground here. It’s the myth of that holy grail of the ‘middle ground’ that modern adherents an proponents advertise as its redeeming attributes. The problem is that the middle ground doesn’t exist and nor can it. The progressives in society advocate for its full-blown institution but there ignorance of history and failure to understand true human nature leads them to a false conclusion.

The motives of self-interest and mutual compassion and real equality are discarded. In their place communism proposes that the society shall have all things common, that every person shall labor for the common end. Unfortunately, injustice and unfairness will allow those who do not contribute their share can still draw out a share. They get a portion of the pot even when they don’t deserve anything if they haven’t contributed communally to the pot. At its root these are economic philosophy not political ones. The politic drives the economic philosophy. The economics of course then keep the politics in power.

For Socialism and Communism to work the rule of the commune must literally be, “If any man will not work, neither shall he eat." This class of members, then, must either starve or be compelled to work. As we know this is just not the case as there is literally no incentive to work knowing you could be the one sponging off of the State and on the State’s dole like a financial junkie.

If they are to be compelled to work then by whom, by the community itself? The community is in theory a corporation; it can only act practically upon its members, through its officers. It is a theory of thorough equality. The compulsion which is exercised upon the many must be exercised upon all. The corporation therefore must be absolute in its title to dictate to each member how much labor he shall contribute, in order to be entitled to draw out his share of good. No incentive to work when others don’t contribute and force those that don’t work to work. One person is a slave to the another lazy person and the lazy person a slave to authority forcing their hand.

Once either of these individuals is allowed to decide that question, there will be an end of equity. Both will be resentful. Resent or anger therefore is an end of harmony. An end of harmony and unity of purpose is an end of plenty and ultimately a societal and authoritarian collapse. The bottom-line is that each member must be enslaved to the corporation in some way to make the system work. They must be enslaved to the individuals who wield the official power of the corporation who for all effective purposes stand outside the political system they rule. In essence ideological hypocrites, kleptocrats and slaveholders.

Therefore their political ideologies that they themselves live by can diverge greatly from the system they impose in the enslaved. The proverbial: What is for thee is not for me. Those elitist ideologies can range anywhere from Communism to Muslim caliphate as we see with Bernie Sanders, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Rashida Tlaib and Ilhan Omar. We are already starting to see this dynamic in the political elitists in the Progressive Left and at times even in the elitist right which impose unconstitutional ruling and restraints on the masses through bogus laws. It is literally an institutionalization of socialism/communism through legislation.

In socialism and eventually communism we have a system of slavery far more grinding than the chattel slavery and bondage forced on African Americans in the 19th century. The officials or .01% in charge will capitalize financially whenever possible and live like aristocracy regardless of what they subjugate others with but officially they will own no right of property or their million of slaves. They’ll still have power and direction over them. Having no personal tie to these multitudes or millions will make them detached and callous. No empathy for the slaves in this system. Horrors and terrors will ensue and always have in history where no one is held morally or ethically accountable. In socialism and communism there is no God as they are fundamentally atheistic worldviews. No God no measure of right or wrong. Therefore everything and anything is permissible including wholesale slaughter based on the whims of the State. We saw this in 20th century China and the Soviet Union.

There will be no moral prompting to care for the welfare of slaves in an ethic-less corporate entity. Only profit for the good of the ‘Corporation’ is relevant. If we believe that corporate entities will look to the good or moral end of slaves, consumers or their workers we need only look at things like the tobacco industry or insurance companies. These types of companies are neither affected by affection towards their workers only their own self-interests which are primarily existence and that is driven by profit from labor. Cheaper the better, meaning the standard of living by default diminishes to a level playing field regardless of effort. Again we see no incentive to work hard or work at all.

In truth, in order to keep a civil government just and free, it should be endowed with as few powers and functions as possible. The ones that it should have are mostly, those regulations and law which are necessary to maintain social order and relative justice. All the other functions of civilized life should be left as much as possible to the individual and the family. Instead we have seen an overt invasion into people’s personal lives over the last 2 years due to COVID-19 and elected officials overstepp9ng their Constitutional authority and most of the courts are allowing it including the United States Supreme Court which is specifically in place to prevent a breach of the Constitutional contract with the American public.

An overbearing doting paternal government can never remain a free government. By directly imposing itself into so many powers and interests, it draws into its control too much influence to effect outcomes…including elections if people are not precautious. When this happens there are to many possibilities the institutionalized of the process to kept control of positions of power come to the advantage of those already in power. In other words, it becomes a de facto hostile takeover. Too many prizes prove to be too irresistible to overcome and those chosen quickly become those self-appointed. We move from inaugurations to coronations. It is human nature and that is why Socialism and Communism never work. The .01% become corrupted. It happens every single time in history and has never been any different. The success rate of diplomatic and democratic rule by an isolated few is 0%. Selfishness, ambition, greed and avarice always prove to great to overcome. Socialism and communism implode due to human foibles not due to theory. The theory is sound but the instigators and propagators of it are not. If we are honest, we would understand that Kingdom if God is a benevolent dictatorship/totalitarians state (Jesus). As long as man is in charge it fails. If God is in charge it succeeds...theocracy. That doesn't happen though until Thy Kingdom Come. Until then democracy is the best opinion if Jesus isn't actively leading everyone's hearts.

Due to human foibles, selfishness and ambition, socialism and communism corrupts and implodes from within. Due to human nature it distorts into numberless alternates, and becomes a gigantic engine of oppression to the people, under the pretence of paternity. The old joke being: “We’re the government, we’re here to help.” No, they’re only here to acquire more control. We only need look to the False Church and the myriad of breakaway denominations within the false churches. In particular, Liberation Theology and its subordinate theologies like Social Justice, Black theology and Queer theology for instance, Once the main branch diverges from truth…everything under it follows. So too economic and political theories.

Communism trajectory forces it to travel in a direction exactly opposite to this maxim of true and free statesmanship. That is because Communism trajectory forces it to travel in a direction exactly opposite God and Scripture. These false economic theories often misunderstand as political theories seek to replace the Kingdom of God with the Kingdom of Man without God. The theory believes that the Commonwealth of the State deserves all the indivudlas and resources of that State. It doesn’t just ask for the human and material resources but also the services and functions. Everything becomes universally the State. Your children are the State’s. Your futures, the State’s.The State therefore becomes the sole property owner, sole employer, sole overseer, sole slaveholder, sole distributer, sole family ruler, sole master and soul master. The State is God.

The corruption and vice, the cliques, the factions, the official employment and office-seeking will devolve into a form of sycophancy by individual and corporation alike. Those that do no align to the party ideology will be the oppressed. But wait…isn’t that what we are beginning to see in America now? Corruption pervades the highest offices of the land. We see shameless self-promotion to maintain offices by both Republicans and Democrats. There is a slave like sycophancy by the media that is more and more being controlled ideologically by one party or another? There is more of a prevalence to not only malign, slander or libel and opposing view but now an actual desire to punish dissenting view or literally attack and silence it?

Who would wish grow up in society under these extreme conditions? I believe the answer is self-evident and is already happening. The result would be the most iniquitous and cruel slavery ever witnessed on earth. Those that become the successful demagogues would be the masters, their subservient office-holders (the ideologically identical) in the States would be the slave-drivers, and the citizens would be the slaves regardless of race. The controlling State would justify that the Marxist theory would work based on smaller older successful communes among us by no means enslave their members; but whenever these deem the terms and rules of the society unsuitable, they are left free to withdraw.

We see this in religious cults such as the Amish and Mennotite traditions to a greater or lesser degree. Granted there are always attempts in these type of isolated religious communities at ‘guilting’ people into behavior to control them but there is always the option to leave even though it essentially means a form of anathema or excommunication. In a socialist or communist nation…there will be no escape hatch like this. Ask the former Soviet Union or Communist China. Had there been no Western world after the fall of the Berlin Wall where would these ‘escapees’ from Communism to go? They had America. What is America turns to full blown socialism or communism. Where do American’s go if we seed the rest of the world with this slavery?

The truth is that Social and later Communism seeks to make itself universal. It aims to possess all of the commonwealth, and to own all the citizens. The world inevitably can become the realm of the State. What if there are then no more alternatives to escape this philosophy? We then see a One World Government. A world ruled by and elitist, non-empathetic, power-hungry corporation. The only alternative to this slavery is absolute poverty outside the system with that system always seeking to assimilate you into it. Slavery or always on the lamb to avoid being controlled…a penalty or discontent only slightly less severe than that of crucifixion inflicted by pagan masters on slaves in the past. To either become part of the godless collective as a faceless entity or forever be viewed as a criminal at risk of persecution for not conforming. How is this any different than the persecution of the 1st century Christians? What should a Christian rightfully do? I think you know the answer. A man cannot serve two masters, only the Soul’s Master.

 

Hatebox: The Best Revenge is to Forgive

We have a duty to forgive others. In truth we have a duty to forgive ourselves too as wrongs that remain unforgiven only work to destroy us inside. Resentment, the emotion which opposes forgiveness, was given to us by God but when we can’t let it go we misuse that emotion for purposes it wasn’t meant for. When we don't forgive we turn our heart into a hatebox that accumulates wrongs. Resentment has a legitimate scope but not to the extent that it turns to sin. 

Jesus told us: Matthew 5:22-24 “But I say to you that everyone who is angry with his brother will be liable to judgment; whoever insults his brother will be liable to the council; and whoever says, ‘You fool!’ will be liable to the hell of fire. So if you are offering your gift at the altar and there remember that your brother has something against you, leave your gift there before the altar and go. First be reconciled to your brother, and then come and offer your gift.

The conditionality is that we seek to be reconciled. That we ourselves forgive. Resentment or anger per se is not a sin. God knew we’d get angry about things. We just need restraint and not allow it to mutate into sin. 

Paul said: Ephesians 4:26-27 Be angry and do not sin; do not let the sun go down on your anger, and give no opportunity to the devil.

When I looked long and hard at my periods of unforgiveness and resentment I realized they were reactions against injustice, and not against mere pain. Anger is in fact a legitimate moral emotion as a reaction to inequality. God did not expect us to be unfeeling drones. When I looked even deeper I realized my resent over the injustice didn’t arise against the one who unintentionally hurts me but rather the unfeeling act perpetrated on me. I’ve learned not to attribute to malice that which can be explained by ignorance which is 95% of the time. So to remain angry at the person is pointless. Most people are oblivious of sins of omission…hence the word omission. They’re blissfully unaware.

Unfortunately anger is an emotion which prompts instantly to confrontation. It prompts first to reaction rather than thought. Then actions come, usually bad ones. We act on impulse imprudently. It's an issue of lack of control. Through our lives anger was a series of cause and effect with no pause after the cause. I believe this reaction is imprinted in us from birth or at least from a very young age. Anger is the natural reaction to attack or insult as a self-defense. I am certain God implanted this in us. To become angry is not sin as it is an emotion from God for a practical purpose. I mean, look around, we live in a world full of aggressors. This is especially true for a Christian who is a person that believes in God….whom the world hates. Therefore anger is legitimate response.

Paul says be angry and sin not. We need to also realize that Christ’s perfect holiness did not forbid His being angry.

Mark 11:15 Then they came to Jerusalem. And He entered the temple and began to drive out those who were buying and selling in the temple, and overturned the tables of the money changers and the seats of those who were selling doves…

As a balanced emotional person it is expected you will feel happiness AND anger. If not you are unbalanced and immoral as these emotions are a sign of balanced morality. Anger stirred by resentment of unrighteous acts is normal. If you don’t have anger in situations that demand them you are likely incapable of seeing the world properly through a Biblical lens. Therefore at the heart of the issue is spiritual immorality or sin. We all know people that take great joy in being miserable all the time. This is an immorality and immaturity issue. To not control anger that leads to retaliation is to remain a child. When we become adults we are to put away childish things.

If we are the type of people to say that our indignation only arises when we see our neighbor’s doing wrong, not ourselves, then we are being hypocritical. We are deceiving ourselves in denial of our own sin. Sadly many Christians do this and are roundly hated for it. They see the speck in their neighbor’s eye and gleefully point it out while ignoring the plank in their own. If we only anger seeing the bad actions of others and then not forgive we become the object of the wrong instead of our neighbor because of our unforgiving attitude and hypocrisy…we are just as guilty.

The Bible requires you to love your neighbor as yourself, not more than yourself. People who overreact to the wrongs done to them while ignoring their own behavior are people who do not know themselves or don’t take honest stock of themselves. These people tend to be the most vindictive of all. We need only look at the Sadducees and Pharisees of Jesus’ time. Their anger was the most volatile for a wrong perceived and the most vindictive to retaliate. It’s the retaliation that is the sin not the anger. The Mark 3 passage illustrates this clearly as it contrasts Jesus’ anger against the Pharisees.

Mark 3:1-6 Another time Jesus went into the synagogue, and a man with a shriveled hand was there. Some of them were looking for a reason to accuse Jesus, so they watched him closely to see if he would heal him on the Sabbath. Jesus said to the man with the shriveled hand, “Stand up in front of everyone.” Then Jesus asked them, “Which is lawful on the Sabbath: to do good or to do evil, to save life or to kill?” But they remained silent. He looked around at them in anger and, deeply distressed at their stubborn hearts, said to the man, “Stretch out your hand.” He stretched it out, and his hand was completely restored. Then the Pharisees went out and began to plot with the Herodians how they might kill Jesus.

If we look at this scenario from both sides we see that the resentment Jesus manifested is in defense of the purpose of the Law which in itself is a ‘self-defense’ as the Law is God. The moment the Pharisees/Herodians seek retribution it erupts into full-blown sin. Jesus immediately moves on to other miracles (and the crowds follow) but the religious leaders leave disgruntled and intent on murder.

So perhaps you were wronged and the wrong was properly punished. Your resentment and anger must then stop too. You must be restored to former relationship prior to the wrong not continue to harbor resent. You must move back to: Love your neighbor as yourself. It doesn’t mean the person who wronged you was innocent nor does it mean they changed…it just means they stopped the unrighteous behavior and you forgave. The change doesn’t just stop with their ceasing of wrong-doing but your willingness to forgive and overlook it moving forward. Forgiveness manifests the mercy and grace of those wronged. If we refused to forgive because we are wronged by sin there would never be any forgiveness since we’re all sinners and constantly sinning against not only one another but to God. Yet God is/was willing to forgive us. A forgiveness without which, we're doomed. There will be times when forgiveness is the only valid option. 

Let he that is without sin cast the first stone…otherwise...forgive.

Therefore we love others even when we don't want to. Even love our enemies that wronged us. Except of course in those tenuous situations of self-defense where anger is a protective measure defending righteousness or that which is good. We’re Christians not doormats. Love is obligatory. We must love our neighbors and our enemies. Loving them means forgiving them for an affront that was remediated or made right. We don’t necessarily need to like enemies but we do need to love them. Sometimes that means praying for their own stupidity and pointless attacks on us. Just remember though that true forgiveness expects a change in behavior. Forgiveness that doesn’t expect a change is only enablement.

That means real forgiveness at its root…is to choose not to retaliate or suppress the sinful urge to attack. A forgiving person will not return wrong for wrong (lex talionis). Instead of returning hatred, returning compassion and kindness even when it doesn't appear warranted. Please note though that our duty to forgive is not grounded in the belief that unjust hostility and violence deserve no retribution. They do deserve it by their strict moral desert. It is God though that is the judge and punisher. Vengeance is the mine says the Lord. The duty of forgiveness is for us but the actually ability to forgive is God’s alone. We merely assume an act of love in God’s stead so we can ultimately open a door for His providence. The ability to act in grace and forgive is delegated from God through us to the transgressor. Why? All sin is against God, not us.

Loving one’s enemy therefore aims to minimize natural evil and provides no higher calls for retribution. Sin and suffering stop at forgiveness’s doorstep and cannot enter to wreak havoc in love's household. We have the ability to stand in that doorway and refuse sin's entry. We have the ability to turn away hostility before it even enters our lives. 

We have a duty to God, to those we love and our neighbor to protect them from this. Yes, we even have a duty to protect enemies. Do unto others as you’d have done to you. In this way we begin to repair broken and hateful relationships. In this way we repair broken hateful societies. It really is about forgiveness and it’s not really a request, it’s a responsibility to God and man. Forgiveness sets a slave free and that slave is you. It is the entire story of the Cross.

Matthew 6:12 …and forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive them that trespass against us.

Out of Control: Mastering Unbridled Passions

I am examining why America appears to be getting more chaotic. I thought when I began this series it would lead to complex mysterious causes. What I have found is that all roads lead to the same root cause. On these roads are quite a few Biblical road signs that are posted as warnings. Until now most have been ignored. Why? Because the signs being placed are being placed for a people who ignore God. They don't recognize the signs as warnings. Why would they pay attention to His signs? This was God's pattern throughout Scripture: Warning, judgment, punishment, correction. We're ignoring the warnings and speeding headlong into judgment.

As the mind leads, the body follows. As the individual hearts go...so goes a nation. A mind for God follows God. A mind for the world follows the world. God is immutable, measured and certain. The world is inconsistent, maddening and chaotic.

Proverbs 14:30 A tranquil heart is life to the body, but passion is rottenness to the bone.

Proverbs 16:32 He who is slow to anger is better than the mighty, and he who rules his spirit, than he who captures a city.

Proverbs 29:11 A fool always loses his temper, but a wise man holds it back.

As most know about me I have always said that, “I don’t care what you feel until I know what you think.” What I mean by this is that until I run what you say through a filter of Scriptural principles everything you’ve felt is subjective and therefore prone to error. Especially prone to the potential error against the principles that underlie and are commanded by Scripture. Men’s hearts are enmity against God. It is safe to assume that more often than not what man feels is usually going astray from God. This is not to say that I condemn feelings or emotion. No, God gave them to us for a reason.

Just because I tend to analyze things in a clinical stoic manner does not mean I am emotionless. I merely control my emotions in review of things better than others do. I approach problems analytically and calm. Emotions are good but not when then they’re so heightened that they cloud judgment and cause strife and error. You can trust me on this statement: I was extremely emotive when I was younger. It was my default position when approaching the world. It caused me nothing but grief. At the same time we need to realize that just because one does not emote doesn’t mean they are somehow more reliable. I see this mistake also. People that are mostly analytical and scientific are somehow more intelligent and their views are somehow more valid. That isn’t true either, which was strongly illustrated by an unwarranted panic and overreaction by ‘officials’ and ‘experts’ over the last year over what was essentially a really strong respiratory virus is a perfect case in point.

So where is the middle ground? Unbridled emotion in society with little thought is leading to chaos and confusion in America. Pure unadulterated emotion without reason and logic isn’t the answer. But neither is approaching things from a clinical dehumanized angle and dealing with people in a purely scientific analytical manner either…or is it. I posit that a reasoned logical approach is the best approach to problem solving. I believe we need to review how and why we quantify the scientific analytical approach the way we do. I posit that the analytical scientific approach is, in itself, a form of emotional approach. I also believe we could refer to this approach as an impassioned scientific approach that seeks to passionately solve the problem. All the while doing so under complete control and calm. I believe this is my general approach (except when you piss me off). I believe this level approach allows me to reach more people I otherwise wouldn’t be able to reach had I been hysterical, overly emotional and undisciplined.

Follow me here people…I believe this is going to produce a big payoff for those that understand what I am about to say.

On the subject of the feelings they need to be viewed in varying levels of degree. We need to realize that many names for different feelings are in reality feelings that belong to the same general category but vary by degree. Such as happy, content, content, glee, serenity, ecstatic, etc. They are all forms of happiness only marked by degree of intensity or ‘passion’. In other words, most know I will generally present things in a clinical analytical way to win an audience's or person's trust but I pursue that endeavor with zeal in terms of researching the facts and delivering them in a coherent package that is easily digestible by the reader or hearer. I am zealous for the truth but will systematically and in a delineated manner deliver the facts or data through level-headed reason and logic (syllogism). In a way I am logically scientific in my approach to theology and things of faith if only to show a scientific and sterile society the validity of my reasoning for existence of God and why we should adhere to a Judeo-Christian worldview. Specifically, why Jesus Christ is exactly who the Bible said He was…Son of God sent for forgiveness of our sins.

Additionally, we should realize that the words ‘zealous’ and “passion” are often used in normal everyday speech, and even defined in scientific books, as properly meaning feelings in their highest paradigm. I see no discontinuity here between scientific and Christian etymology. They are not mutually exclusive. They’re synonymous just as science and Christianity can merge into a single worldview for the same reasons I just mentioned. Impassioned reasoning and logic allow for both the physical realm of our sterile godless scientifically based society and religious worldview. Evenhanded logic and reasoning will lead you to accurate conclusions about both…primarily that the physical and metaphysical, the scientific and spiritual both exist and can be logically explained.

Unfortunately to date, the use of the term ‘passion’ has been wrong or misused. It assumes the extreme of something. As I just showed before, I can be level-headed and rational yet also be impassioned. Passion drives my stoic pursuit of the knowledge of Scripture, God and a passion to discover how to apply it in the world in people’s lives. My sincerest form of worship of God is study. For others singing and still others, pray and mediation. I study and exegete the Scripture to produce a practical application based on the truth or principle I have gleaned from the abundant spiritual Godly harvest fields of the Bible. I then rationally and calmly explain it to others that don’t believe, might believe or do believe. That is my ‘passion’. A passion of composed, equitable, unbiased delivery of truth. That truth will do its own work in other people’s souls and minds and produce further impassioned ‘A-ha’ moments or personal epiphanies through the work of the Holy Spirit.

When we realize that there are marked increases and decreases of degree or intensity we begin to realize something. Lower or more subdued feelings although controlled and restrained…are still feelings. They are just calmer and less emphatic. Lower volume does not imply less importance any more than higher volume denotes more importance. In truth ideas or truths without passion and or emotion equals no motion….no impetus of movement. There is only idea unmoved. Unfortunately these calmer degrees, although true feelings, are often mistaken and spoken of as if they were only functions of rational judgment. I disagree. I see them as merely delivered in a controlled manner by rational reasoned approaches such and as such are more dignified, honorably and accessible.

My approach is therefore not robotic, automaton or dehumanized but rather methodical and controlled. Why?...because this type of approach minimizes the chaos caused by heightened passions that ensue from overt emotionality and borderline ecstatic behaviors. I have a much better chance of getting my point across accurately and clearly as opposed to someone ‘feeling’ what I am saying. So, I say it again, “I’ll care about how you feel after I know what you think is correct.” Passion pursued in error creates much greater emotional error. Passion pursued in accuracy and truth produces something more than the sum of its parts. When that accuracy and truth is biblical it produces what God wants. It produces something righteous….something holy. We need to master or feelings not let our feelings master us.

In this way my calmness is still emotion not stoic judgment. Unfortunately, we have been sociologically programmed to believe that one who does not emote…does not care because they are not overtly manifesting emotion. This just isn’t true. I’m often just trying to prevent people from going off halfcocked unbiblically and in a ardent foolish manner. There is nothing worse than an emotionally sincere person that is sincerely wrong. It’s like a drag car out of control. Plenty of power but are in danger of veering out of control. From that origin has come many errors, wars, heresies and deaths.

I believe we must learn to separate the concept of the essence of emotion/feelings and the traits of urgency, intensity, agitation. When we see urgency and intensity we generally only characterize these as higher degrees of emotion. This is wrong. As I’ve shown, emotion may be emotion and yet not be ‘emotional’ or intense but rather calm and even. It’s an individual choice of delivery method and choice how to behave…or misbehave.  As I’ve heard it said before, feelings are the temperature of thought. Feelings are the energy expended to produce the action. Not everything needs to have the throttle pegged to the floor or the tachometer redlining to win a race. Sometimes consistency of effort wins the race. A beam of light may vary in intensity from the barely visible, to blinding or from an imperceptible trickle of warmth on a wintry day to the fierce scorching heat of the midsummer sun. Yet there is still heat in the ice of winter which is a hint of the summer to come. 

Said simply. When given over to ruled and measured emotion or passion, fruitfulness and prosperity abound and that is why God gave them to us and it is in knowledge and obedience to Him that they are controlled. In God there is peace. When given over to unruly passions and reckless emotion... fruitlessness, failure and hardship are harvested. In these we will see the conspicuous absence of God in people's lives. That is exactly what we are seeing in the world today. God warned us that this would happened to a people under judgment. 

Romans 1:24-26 Therefore God gave them up in the lusts of their hearts to impurity, to the dishonoring of their bodies among themselves, because they exchanged the truth about God for a lie and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever! Amen. For this reason God gave them up to dishonorable passions.

1 Thessalonians 4:3-5 For this is the will of God, your sanctification: that you abstain from sexual immorality; that each one of you know how to control his own body in holiness and honor, not in the passion of lust like the Gentiles who do not know God….

A Man As Good As His Word

I’ve been beating on this next topic for over a year because I see a failure in society to maintain it for a while now. This is one of the core issues destroying America in addition to lack of accountability. Speak the truth with no deception, no ulterior motive or subterfuge. Make sure your yes means yes and your no means no. It seems such a simple thing for people to do but the failure to do it wholly and completely in society is culminating in societal breakdown. False or errant communication can ultimately lead to the demise of our structured society. Truthfulness with others and even one’s self.

In the past I’ve mostly hit it from a philosophical standpoint. I just showed how people’s statements are logically flawed. I now realize it runs deeper. This isn’t just a failure to think critically. It is actually forethought and based in malice that which I was attributing to stupidity. I no longer believe that most media and politicians are just using incorrect reasoning. No, they’re literally changing definition of words to allow themselves to appear to be speaking the truth but in reality are deliberately deceiving. They do so by changing commonly accepted meaning of words like tolerance, hate, and choice in purposeful lies or fallacies called equivocation.

Proverbs 14:5 An honest witness does not deceive, but a false witness pours out lies.

Matthew 5:37 But make sure your statement is, ‘Yes, yes’ or ‘No, no’; anything beyond these is of evil origin.

Ephesians 4:25 Therefore each of you must put off falsehood and speak truthfully to your neighbor, for we are all members of one body.

Well, it turns out honesty is exceptionally important in sustaining a functional society or any form of organization for that matter. Truth is a measure of absolutism or at least a benchmark or touchstone of what is not. It is a benchmark of how much a person can be assured of a certainty. Without honesty laws cannot be passed that work. Without truth and honesty laws that are passed cannot be obeyed. Without truth communication cannot even be completed properly. This is part of what we are seeing unravel in society today. The failure to communicate honestly saying what one means and meaning what one says is instigating strife, conflict and violence. This deceptive communication is going on at grand scale as it is being broadcast in the public square (media). Corrupt politicians assist in articulating and propagating the lies by institutionalizing lies in the form of bad, flawed or contradictory laws.

It is strange that as a Capitalist society America doesn’t understand the intrinsic value of honesty anymore. The assuredness of the ironclad integrity of a ‘handshake’ deal. The old practice of sealing a deal with a handshake because a man was good to his word and that was his contract. His reputation rode on how he performed and dealt honestly. Honesty is the hallmark of integrity or a signpost. That handshake bonded your agreement in truth to the other person. If it’s not there the person without it has no integrity and you’re better off not dealing with them. Like then, so now…truth and honesty was/is important because most business transactions depend on trust. A business deal…the heart of the American capitalistic system. Business isn’t just business either. When I say business I’m not just referring to the act of making one's living or making money by producing or buying and selling products and services. I consider ‘business’ also any type of interaction where there is an exchange of possessions, ideas or even spirituality through things like teaching and mentoring where truthful words and honesty are needed to complete a transaction with integrity.

Truth is required in everyday interactions or dealing with other people that are needed to maintain a healthy relationship. In our business, employment, neighborly relationships, family relationships and even intimate relationships we are failing at a wholesale level if we’re honest. I believe part of it is just failure to complete ideas and we communicate half ideas which are essentially incomplete thoughts. Not outright lies but truths with facts omitted leading to failure of some sort.  Why partial or limited communication?

I believe it is a lack of attention-span and distraction. The largest distraction obviously being technology. Most now gravitate towards and prefer depersonalized interaction on a device as opposed to face to face direct interaction. The past year of COVID has amplified this. Why? In a word: Accountability. The physical geographic separation the electronics allow removes direct immediate accountability for words and actions. The distance demands neither truth nor kindness. In their place deception and callousness. People speak without saying anything meaningful and listen but hear only what they want to. This fuels the masses in a dehumanized way. Once we have a large angry mass in motion…the mob rules. Bad things happen in mindless unruly mobs.

A businessperson has to trust that a supplier will deliver a product on the date that he specified or a with quality, integrity and honesty. Just as in a normal interaction in society, a person has to trust that another communicant will deliver a statement in a timely manner or a message with honesty. In business the end product are goods. Those agreed upon products will have the agreed quality and specifications. The supplier has to trust that the buyer will pay for the product when he promised to do so. This is the identical requirement in a civic or social interaction. They also need to have agreed upon qualities and specifications like honesty, intent and a pureness of purpose. One delivers goods and service, the other delivers integrity and ideas. Both are expected to be intact upon receipt by the recipient. If not someone gets angry, confused, disillusioned or all of these. Discontinuity ensues. Social Distortion. A slow erosion of truth/integrity happens en masse and spreads exponentially. The evil is no longer contained as the words spread this damaging contagion like airborne virus on the wind of their breath.

When a company's buyers and sellers are in the habit of telling the truth and keeping their word, business transactions run smoothly and the economy functions efficiently. Here in the business example we see how individual units of business affect a much larger whole. Now carry this analogy over to dishonest individual personal interactions. Similarly, a myriad of small immoral interactions or dishonesty in communication between two people can destroy a friendship, marriage, family, church, society or country. These individual dishonesties and deceptions start individually and amass into much larger issue. They become a massive writhing throng of confusion and disorder.

The parallel as a whole can be shown in the business imagery too. When a business is building a highly complex product like a phone or automobile, there can be hundreds or even thousands of suppliers and workers on which the company depends in order to make a quality product on time. If successful it profits the company. The issue of trust influences the outcome. As significantly higher levels of complexity are added to a product or series of communication, the more accurate the series of communication need to be to reproduce an accurate result. If at any time inaccuracies enter these sequence of events the end result is flawed. Furthermore the earlier the error, deception or lie enters the series the more it has time to distort and mutate. Again, this is what we are seeing in society. Distortions or lies placed early in the communication process then being exacerbated over time dramatically effecting everything and everyone downstream.

If a culture or business tolerates lying and breaking one’s word, then the entire moral and economic systems begin to break down respectively. Welcome to America 2021. Products are not delivered on time. Needed parts come in the wrong sizes or do not meet quality standards. Invoices and accounting reports are falsified so that companies no longer have an accurate picture of their inventories or costs of goods. Additional time-wasting procedures have to be built in to check and double-check the accuracy of every report. Economic productivity begins a rapid downward spiral. So too the outcome of societies that tolerate blatant deception from the individual level all the way up to the federal level or the breakdown of moral integrity. 

The end social product of a society littered with deceivers and liars is a need for more onerous laws to try and control them rather than allowing them to be guided by an internal moral bearing. That is what we're also seeing in America. People are no longer good to their ‘handshake’ agreements because there is no pattern of moral behavior to back it. Past precedence has shown that a society that honors God’s commands will value and expect truthfulness. Those that reject God or are in rebellion will see no value in telling truth even to the detriment of society’s downfall. That is why the Bible clearly opposes such a breakdown in trust in a culture by upholding a high standard of truthfulness in speech. It says:

Exodus 20:16 “You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor”

Colossians 3:9 Do not lie to each other, since you have taken off your old self with its practices

In cultures and societies past and present where lying or manipulation of the truth is accepted we see that people’s integrity and value/worth will not be respected. I believe this is why we are seeing more frequently that people are being treated in a dehumanized objectified way; Demorats, Repubtards, uneducated evangelical (as epithet). There is no longer dignity or mutual respect. in the place of honorable passions we are seeing insults, violence and ignorance skyrocket while being encouraged by media and leaders.

It should not be surprising, therefore, that in nations that had been strongly influenced by the Bible and maintain a decorum of integrity, honesty or overall moral behavior...mutual respect is the status quo not the exception as we see now. In Biblical nations we see a people that have held to the positive values discussed above. In so doing greater economic growth and exchange of ideas prevails as we have seen in days past in America. As nations have drifted away from God the immorality, deception and evil has increased. So much so it is prevalent and widespread as we see today. Deception is now the de facto behavior.

The Inevitably of Inequality

[This is a short post I essentially wanted to put here on my blog because more and more I am being shadow banned on social media due to my content. Here I merely expound on the idea of equality and justice....again. As I read and study the picture of society and what is occurring in it becomes more clear.]

We need to realize that true equality in this world can never be truly achieved…especially by societal or culture demands. Why? It is because that is antithetical to the need of society itself. Foremost our purposes for being here are not equal. Equivalence is not based on what is fair but rather what is needed. All of us have different stewardship to different ends. Some are valued more than others as is evidenced by the premium put on the educated, the skilled and to gifted and are apportioned respectively. Society can never be equal. It can only function properly under the premise of: "To each their own measure."

Luke 6:38 ….give, and it shall be given unto you; good measure, pressed down, shaken together, running over, shall they give into your bosom. For with what measure ye mete it shall be measured to you again.

Responsible intrepid folks that succeed are people that get more responsibility. Society therefore advances and improves. Others irresponsible and lazy (or worse, criminal) that undermine the societal collective losing not only for themselves but society's a whole. Martin Luther King Jr. said it himself. He dreamed of a day that a man will be evaluated by the content of his character or basically merit not the color of his skin. It is individual uniqueness that are a society's strength. It is the unification of disparate unequal parts that allows a watch to keep time perfectly. Not equal 'just because' we're entitled to it but unequal per function or roll within the whole.

That is why all true Christians seek unity and Christ, yet we are all different parts of the Christian body. Those that don't take accountability for their actions do not merit equality as they are in reality detracting from the very society that is demanding the equal measure. Should we reward bad, entitled or sinful behavior the exact same way we reward a righteous man? I think not. How can that possibly balance a scale of justice? We might be created or born equal but after that we're at the whims of the roll God created us for.

Owning It: Taking Accountability

I've watched the unrest and tearing of the American fabric. I've watched from afar as society slowly cannibalizes itself. One gesture of grace restrained where it would've helped. One act of civility snatched away at a time. The dismantling of an empire one brick at at time. It started in the cities and is slowly working its way into the suburbs. The media covers it while fanning the flames. Politicians politicize it for personal gain and profit. Parties split, population follows like sheep following the Judas Goat. Division is the de facto condition now in the USA. Under it all emotion with little thought. 

I generally have observed from a non-political vantage point. There are some that don't know me that will accuse me of being a Republican but even my liberal friends know this isn't true. I'm an island unto myself in Christianity. If it isn't in Scripture...I don't care. When it goes against Scripture I say so and attack or ridicule it. Otherwise: "Love God and do unto others...". In matters of Christian doctrine I am dogmatic and aggressive. In all else I believe in liberty. Make your own choices just don't make me responsible for cleaning up your mess or paying for it. I already have my own children.

I used to be emotive. I used to be careless and not take responsibility for my actions. I see many in society doing the very same things. Therein I believe lies some of the problem. No one owns their behavior. Its always someone else's fault. It's Trump's fault, Biden's fault, Dr. Fauci's fault, God's fault, Satan's fault, the democrats fault, the Republicans fault, etc. Never once looking in our mirrors. We know that if we do we will see a malformed image of ourselves that we don't want to see distorted by sin and corruption from within not from outside of us. Of course we'll see it with clouded lenses with our warped perceptions. We'll see a prince or princess instead of the ogre or crone that it really shows.

I used to be conspiracy minded too. That mentality comes with many in society that believe ‘something’ or ‘someone’ is always screwing them over. It’s the proverbial underdog or victim complex. Sadly I’ve found that Christians unwilling to take honest inventory of themselves are especially guilty of this. I see it in everyday social interactions in workplaces, gyms, etc. People that can never admit they’re wrong and constantly cause conflict. I see it in people’s spouses who elbow their husband or wives in the ribs when the pastor points out a particular sin that the other spouse constantly is guilty of. They'll never once realize they’re guilty of the very same thing or even something worse. I now see this type of malfunction at the societal level. Dysfunction is probably a better descriptor. We’re all guilty, some more than others but when the Church is guilty, who is there to show the world the way to righteousness? No one wants to listen to a hypocrite. That leaves a wandering voice screaming from the wilderness nearly to faint to hear. The voice of God once a roar in people's lives now just a whisper because they've pushed Him so far away.

Far too many attribute too much ability to those they believe are evil and have power over them to harm them (Trump, Biden, Gates, etc.). Most attribute the worst intent of others every time something happens to them. I've learned to never attribute malice to that which can be explained through simpleminded ignorance or stupidity. Believe me…humans are capable of much greater stupidity at times than evil. Evil logically falls out from that stupidity. When this stupidity gathers in large numbers under in a mob mentality (mass hysteria) the stupidity gets really big too. It is often seen as pure purposeful evil (in a way it is) but in reality it is a sin of omission en masse most times. It is a whole bunch of stupid people doing a lot of really stupid things driven by pure emotion.

They are one large brutish and brainless mass acting and not thinking…like animals stampeding.

I've found that most people are not that smart. For those that are...there are always bullets and good men willing to fight evil to protect their families and neighbors. The Devil isn't behind every tree and under every rock. That assumes you are important enough to warrant his specific attention. This is unlikely. No, you don't need him to fail. You are your own worst enemy. I've found that 95% of the battlegrounds in my life were in my own head. You can drown them in alcohol or haze them out with drugs but...until you deal with your own 'demons' they'll stay put right where they're at. Squatting in your head like it's their summer home. And if you do come under the scrutiny of the Devil then you probably did something right.

In a nutshell no one owns their junk. No one takes responsibility. No one grows up. When there is no law, no need to obey any standard and no firm ground to build a solid foundation…this is the way things will end up and stay. Like adult children forever undermining siblings or parents. It is Lord of the Flies writ large. We see a population never being punished or being held to account. When there is no God there is no moral or ethical absolute. No law or more upwards. When there is no law there is chaos. Welcome to America 2021. I have news for you…God does exist and judgment isn’t just coming, it’s here. The chaos we see around us isn't a forerunner that judgment is coming, it is a sign that it has already arrived. The gates of chaos have been opened and it is God’s wrath that broke the lock on the gate. The hoof beats are approaching.

If we lived in a way that assumed God would come tomorrow I believe things would change dramatically. The fact is, most including Christians behave in a way that would lead one to conclude that they don’t even believe God exists. They're/we're wanton, reckless, violent, selfish, immoral and spiritually dead. We had all better own our sin now before they own us and put us in a predicament we can no longer be redeemed from. 

We need to carry our own baggage instead of tripping over it. God is holding us accountable for our actions. We need to live like He’s here now because in truth He already is and He’s been patient but that patience is waning as is evidenced by the judgment we are seeing around us. We need to create a culture of responsibility not a culture of blame. The farther we have strayed from God and the accountability of our own sin the the worse society has become.

Matthew 25:1-13 “Then the kingdom of heaven will be like this. Ten bridesmaids took their lamps and went to meet the bridegroom. Five of them were foolish, and five were wise.  When the foolish took their lamps, they took no oil with them; but the wise took flasks of oil with their lamps.  As the bridegroom was delayed, all of them became drowsy and slept. But at midnight there was a shout, ‘Look! Here is the bridegroom! Come out to meet him.’  Then all those bridesmaids got up and trimmed their lamps.  The foolish said to the wise, ‘Give us some of your oil, for our lamps are going out.’ But the wise replied, ‘No! there will not be enough for you and for us; you had better go to the dealers and buy some for yourselves.’ And while they went to buy it, the bridegroom came, and those who were ready went with him into the wedding banquet; and the door was shut. Later the other bridesmaids came also, saying, ‘Lord, lord, open to us.’  But he replied, ‘Truly I tell you, I do not know you.’  Keep awake therefore, for you know neither the day nor the hour.

Philippians 1:7 Whatever happens, conduct yourselves in a manner worthy of the gospel of Christ. Then, whether I come and see you or only hear about you in my absence, I will know that you stand firm in the one Spirit, striving together as one for the faith of the gospel.

1 Thessalonians 5:12 For you yourselves are fully aware that the day of the Lord will come like a thief in the night.

Book Review: Miracles: The Credibility of the New Testament Accounts

Miracles: The Credibility of the New Testament Accounts by Craig Keener

This is the most exhaustively documented study of miracles that one can find and read. It is readable, organized, interesting, and incalculably informative. Even if you are a child of the Enlightenment and postmodernism and have dismissed miracle accounts as the "God of the Gaps" explanation of people who cannot explain what they have experienced or seen….this may open your eyes to the unseen realm behind the veil. Many moderns think that "ignorant folk' like me just don't have enough education to understand the natural world, and since scientists on TV discount the supernatural, so should we all. Keener destroys this notion in this 2-volume tome.

Craig Keener argues for two theses: "The book's primary thesis is simply that eyewitnesses do offer miracle claims ... The secondary thesis is that supernatural explanations, while not suitable in every case, should be welcome on the scholarly table along with other explanations often discussed". The bulk of Keener's work comes in part three, which surveys miracle accounts beyond antiquity. Keener develops an anthology of miracle stories and perspectives including sources from all across the Majority World as well as the recent West. Keener then picks up his second thesis in part four, where he discusses several proposed explanations for such accounts.

The amount of academic research that Keener put into this text is extraordinary in and of itself. Dare I say miraculous that it was possible to pull all of this data and information into one source. About half of Volume 2 is bibliography. There are 171 pages of just cited sources. This is no academic/research lightweight. This book lays it all bare. Though this is quite pricey at nearly $60 and it requires a long effort to finish the end is clearly worth the effort. 

The weight of the cited evidence that Keener provides is staggering. The implications of this conclusion alone offer a significant insight into the accounts of the Resurrection being that it was a miracle. I came away with renewed vision of the miraculous works of God in the world. The miracles thereby being the signs or signposts in this world pointing to the next. Miracles are road signs that give us direction and point us towards the Kingdom of God. 

Through this all Keener clinically destroys David Hume and Rudolf Bultmann because as he states: 

"It is impossible to prove a negative by induction when one has observed a limited range of data, and it is precarious to infer an inflexibly negative rule by induction when abundant eyewitness claims exist that one merely refuses to admit as evidence" (p. 167).

The truly open-minded historian will at least consider a supernatural explanation a possibility. I can say without reservation that from now on, anyone who has not dealt with the claims found in this book is not qualified to speak on the topic of miracles.