How Repentance Can Heal Your Conflicts | WRETCHED TV Episode 2188
Join Todd Friel and Dr. John Street as they discuss repentance and emphasize its necessity for salvation and reconciliation.
HOW REPENTANCE CAN HEAL YOUR CONFLICTS
By Dr. Jeffery J Ventrella – Posted at Truthxchange:
“Antidotes to Idolatry” – Part 9“Astrology is one big word association game.”[1]
“The basic problem of Christians . . . is that they have seen things in bits and pieces instead of totals.”[2]
“Claiming to be wise, they became fools”[3]
Paganism’s ethos and ethic is among us. Hear this plainly: I am not saying the barbarians are “at the gates.” No, the data suggest that WE Christians have invited paganism into our midst; it now dines and reclines – quite comfortably and unchallenged – at our own tables. Because Truthxchange exists to Inform the Public; Equip the Church; and Protect the Future, let’s get to the gist.
Dear Christians: Look in the Mirror
Recently, a study disclosed that over 60% of Christians hold to at least one “New Age” – aka pagan – tenet.[4] This is not some occasional quirky software bug, but instead suggests deep corruption of the church’s operating system.
This comprehensive study reports on the beliefs of several categories of Christian across the spectrum: Evangelical, Mainline, Historically Black, and Catholic. It also compares these results to what it deems the “Unaffiliated” – Atheists, Agnostics, and “Nones.” Well, the Christian categories are cumulatively less pagan than the Unaffiliated – by one percentage point: 62% to 61%.
Here’re the results encapsulated:
Overall, roughly six-in-ten American adults accept at least one of these New Age beliefs. Specifically, four-in-ten believe in psychics and that spiritual energy can be found in physical objects, while somewhat smaller shares express belief in reincarnation (33%) and astrology (29%). . . .[5]
This produces syncretism, a deadly form of heresy:
While eight-in-ten Christians say they believe in God as described in the Bible, six-in-ten believe in one or more of the four New Age beliefs analyzed here, ranging from 47% of evangelical Protestants to roughly seven-in-ten Catholics and Protestants in the historically black tradition.[6]
Christ Himself articulated and “called out” this syncretism nestled in several congregations, warning them that He would remove their lampstands absent corporate repentance:
What’s all this mean? The difference between what Christians believe compared with what real pagans believe is statistically immaterial. The doctrinal salt is losing its saltiness. While evangelicals “do better” than the other Christian categories, it would be premature to boast. Atheists – by far – reject pagan views much more readily than Evangelicals:
[A]theists are much less likely to believe in any of the four New Age beliefs than agnostics and those who say their religion is “nothing in particular.” Just 22% of atheists believe in at least one of four New Age beliefs, compared with 56% of agnostics and eight-in-ten among those whose religion is “nothing in particular.”[11]
Let’s peak under the doctrinal hood of the Evangelical car.
https://www.christian-heritage-news.com/2024/06/paganism-in-pews-and-truthxchange.html
Presented by Ligonier Ministries (Youtube):
Description:Whenever Jesus called people to Himself, He called them to repentance. In this sermon, R.C. Sproul observes what Christ required of His first disciples and every disciple since.
Direct Link:
Beginning of Jesus’ Public Ministry (Mark 1:14–20) — A Sermon by R.C. Sproul (youtube.com)
https://rchstudies.christian-heritage-news.com/2024/06/beginning-of-jesus-public-ministry-mark.html
Let me assure at the outset of today’s venture into the blogosphere, I by no means intend to be disparaging of or demeaning to those with hereditary or other mental disorders of any sort. It is spiritual health I refer by the use of the article’s title, not physical health.
That said, I state without reservation that there’s a growing insanity in this nation and world. It is hereditary in nature–rather, I should say, it is hereditary in the supernatural sense. The loss of normal sensibility becomes more apparent with each news cycle.
The cause of the insane condition is as ancient as the time of the first humans. Adam and Eve suffered the beginning of the spiritual mentality breakdown the moment Eve fell victim to Lucifer’s lies and Adam to his own choice to disobey God’s commandment not to eat of the fruit of the forbidden tree. All of their progeny have the infection God calls sin.
The gene that causes the insanity affects each and every one of us until the cure is accepted. We must receive that cure voluntarily, as surely as our human father Adam voluntarily received the deadly gene when he disobeyed his Creator’s warning.
The cure is, of course, Jesus Christ, the Son of God, and His sacrifice on the cross at Calvary. He died for the sin of humankind and resurrected to life so that all who believe this truth and accept Jesus’ cleansing blood are instantaneously healed of all unrighteousness–forever.
However—it’s sad to have to say—the vast majority of humanity throughout the ages have not accepted God’s cure—His belief system for salvation. Thus humanity remains untreated. And now, at this late prophetic hour, the spiritual insanity is manifesting in ways that cannot be missed.
One recent article makes the point.
In 2016, Ash Williams became pregnant for the first time. Williams wants to be a parent eventually — but he wasn’t ready for a child then. He didn’t know much about what an abortion entailed, and he needed a ride, so he called up a friend who drove him. When they got to the clinic, Williams, who is trans, remembers the people working there didn’t care enough to get his name right — using, instead, the name on his license. Never mind asking about pronouns. “Working with the actual provider was really [expletive deleted] up, too,” he says. “I just remember he didn’t say one word to me, and I felt sad about that.”
It’s all there, isn’t it? In a single paragraph, we have all of the most insane and insidious progressive views on display. There’s the fiction of the “pregnant man.” There’s the “pregnant man” getting an abortion — that is, a gender-dysphoric female having her child killed by an abortionist. There’s the fact that the abortion clinic staff is faulted not for facilitating feticide but for paying insufficient attention to pronouns…
It’s a potent, eye-watering ending to a profile that manages to showcase everything wrong with our culture in 2024. “Pregnant men.” “Abortion showers.” For that matter, “abortion doulas.” Celebrating someone for an abortion (“Congratulations — it’s dead!”) People “deserve” abortion. It reminds me of a line from Proverbs 8: “All those who hate Me love death.” (“‘Pregnant man’” becomes ‘abortion doula’ to assist others who want to kill their babies,” LifeSite, Jonathon Van Maren, 6/5/24)
When considering such as reported here, one’s end-times thinking might go to Paul’s 2 Timothy chapter 3 “perilous times” prophecy: “In the last days…they will be without natural affection…”.
Certainly nothing is more natural than a man being a man and a woman being a woman, unless it is a woman having a baby and wanting only to love and nurture that little one. Yet, today, a broad swath of humanity prefers the murder of millions and millions of babies in the wombs of their mothers–even up to the moment of birth, and in some cases, just beyond the actual birth.
For example, in listening to the Chris Plante Show one morning recently, I heard him report on those protesting at an abortion clinic who were arrested for blocking a young woman from going into the clinic.
Whether they actually did so or not, I don’t know, but the story told was that the young woman was on the floor in the last stage of giving birth. She was in heavy labor. She was going to the clinic for an abortion. The pro-abortionist prosecutors were charging the pro-life protesters with interfering with the birth of the young woman’s child (thus charged even though she was trying to get into the clinic to have her child murdered).
Is there any doubt, upon hearing report after report of such craziness, that the insanity gene inhabits humankind?
We consider again God’s Word on that insanity gene, its cause and effect:
And even as they did not like to retain God in their knowledge, God gave them over to a reprobate mind, to do those things which are not convenient…” (Romans 1:28)
There is forgiveness for the heinous sins of abortion and homosexuality, as well as all other anti-godliness. Here is the cure for the insanity gene that rules the reprobate mind. It will cleanse and change all into the mind-likeness of Christ, which saves the soul and makes any person acceptable for dwelling with God in Heaven for eternity.
That if you will confess with your mouth the lord Jesus, and will believe in your heart that God has raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart man believes unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation. (Romans 10:9–10)
Many Christians believe that philosophy is a pagan discipline practiced either by ivory tower professors or Starbucks hippies. This belief has led some to object to the relevance of philosophy, as either they believe only a few can do it, or that it deals with such weird and abstract issues that it is a waste of time. Many Christian theologians object that philosophy is rooted in paganism, and thus has no place in Christian theology. After explaining what philosophy is, it should become clear that not only do these objections fail, but philosophy is unavoidable.
‘Philosophy’ literally means “love (phil) of wisdom (sophia).” It is the quest for knowledge, truth, and how to live the good (moral) life.
There are several branches of philosophy. One, and the most foundational, is metaphysics. Metaphysics is the study of being, or what it means to be real. While biologists study life insofar as things are living, and mathematicians study being as quantified, and physicists study being that is physical or in motion, the metaphysician studies what it means to “be” in general. They ask questions like, what is the difference between Snoopy and a beagle one can take for a walk?
Another branch of philosophy is epistemology, which is the study of knowledge. Epistemologists ask questions like, “How can knowledge be attained,” “What is knowledge,” and “Is there a difference between knowledge and belief?”
Moral philosophy seeks to know what it means to be good in the moral sense. Where does goodness come from, and what makes something good?
Logic studies right reasoning and the mistakes (fallacies) that are sometimes made when trying to make a rational argument.
Aesthetics studies the nature of beauty, and asks “What does it mean to be beautiful? Is beauty objective?” And so on.
From these categories there are any number of other philosophical fields. The philosophy of math deals with the nature of numbers, and asks if numbers are real (e.g. does the number 4 actually exist). In other words, it deals with the nature of math. Philosophy of science deals with the nature of science. The philosophy of history deals with the nature of history and historical knowledge. My area is philosophy of religion, which deals with issues like God’s existence, nature, how we talk about him, the problem of evil, and the nature of miracles.
When you say something that purports to be true, you are talking about reality, and are claiming to know something. You are also making a logical claim. Further, you are assuming (explicitly or implicitly) a certain view of how language works (philosophy of language). Even if you are just talking about the tree in your front yard, you are saying something about the tree’s existence and nature. I am not saying that everyone is a “philosopher” in the strict, academic sense. What I am saying, is that it is not possible to make statements about the world, God, or the Bible without taking philosophical positions, regardless of if you are aware of them or not.
The same holds true for theology and biblical studies/interpretation. We cannot make theological claims without using philosophy. For example, when we talk about Jesus taking on a human nature, we must understand what a “nature” is. This is a philosophical category. When a scholar says that biblical interpreters cannot be objective due to their biases, this is a philosophical statement about the nature of objectivity, bias, the knower, and the knowing process.
Far from this being a pagan practice, it is how God made us. He made us rational beings. This is what makes us different from other animals. Philosophy is useful and unavoidable. Instead of trying to avoid it, we should try to become better philosophers, and worship God with our minds.
“Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Law?”
Jesus replied: “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment.”
Matthew 22:36-38
How Philosophy Can Help Your Theology by Richard Howe (MP3 Set), (mp4 Download Set), and (DVD Set)
Your Most Important Thinking Skill by Dr. Frank Turek DVD, (mp4) download
Counter Culture Christian: Is the Bible True? by Frank Turek (Mp3), (Mp4), and (DVD)
When Reason Isn’t the Reason for Unbelief by Dr. Frank Turek DVD and Mp4
J. Brian Huffling, PH.D. have a BA in History from Lee University, an MA in (3 majors) Apologetics, Philosophy, and Biblical Studies from Southern Evangelical Seminary (SES), and a Ph.D. in Philosophy of Religion from SES. He is the Director of the Ph.D. Program and Associate Professor of Philosophy and Theology at SES. He also teaches courses for Apologia Online Academy. He has previously taught at The Art Institute of Charlotte. He has served in the Marines, Navy, and is currently a reserve chaplain in the Air Force at Maxwell Air Force Base. His hobbies include golf, backyard astronomy, martial arts, and guitar.
Original Blog Source: https://bit.ly/3UTY9yg
The post What Philosophy Is, And Why You Can’t Avoid It appeared first on Cross Examined.
https://crossexamined.org/what-philosophy-is-and-why-you-cant-avoid-it/
TODAY’S BIBLE READING CHALLENGE:
1 Kings 20:1-21:29
Acts 12:24-13:15
Psalm 137:1-9
Proverbs 17:16
1 Kings 20:6 — The dangers of appeasement. When you have given everything they have asked for, be aware that they may ask for more.
1 Kings 20:32 — Ah, the definition of the “good ol’ boys club.” Even though Benhadad threatened to rape and pillage the land, Ahab still thought of him as a brother. But this wasn’t Ahab’s war; this was the LORD’s war (1 Kings 20:28). Compare this situation to Rabshekah and Hezekiah in Isaiah 36:15. 1 Kings 20:42 says that we don’t have authority to make peace with the enemies of the LORD when He has appointed them to destruction. Unless, of course, we want to take their place.
1 Kings 21:4 — Patch the Pirate wrote the song “The Poochie Lip Disease” about the displeasure and pouting that King Ahab did because he couldn’t get a garden.
1 Kings 21:8 — In the University of Chicago’s Oriental Collection, they have a large collection of seals.
1 Kings 21:10, 13 — Interesting that the word “LORD” is not used, but the generic word “Elohim” (god) is. Naboth identified with the LORD, but the sons of Belial identified with just a generic god.
1 Kings 21:29 — It’s interesting that Ahab had a somewhat soft heart; unfortunately, it seems he was stirred up by his wife, Jezebel (1 Kings 21:25). Solomon wrote well of the woman that feareth the LORD (Proverbs 31:30). Many a pastor has been limited in his ministry because his wife was not on the same page. In Bible college the observation was shared that half of all preachers married the wrong woman. On the other hand, I’ve heard of women that felt God’s call to the mission field but married a husband that was not responsive to that calling as well.
Acts 12:24 — Welcome to the theme verse of the Book of Acts. We have seen and will continue to see how the Word of God grew and multiplied!
Acts 12:11 — It is dangerous to interfere with the work of God. In Acts 5, we saw Ananias and Sapphira dead. In Acts 12:23, we see Herod dead.
Psalm 137:9 — The final verse in this psalm of mourning is troubling for some. Atheist debater Dan Barker cites this as proof of the “monster-ship” of God. Some say it’s merely an expression of the feelings of the writer. Jean Jones cites some helpful points, including understanding synecdoche, symbolism, lex talionis, and prophecy. Kyle Butt claims it’s an imprecatory prophecy without divine command.
Proverbs 17:16 — If you aren’t going to learn, don’t bother paying extra for tuition.
Share how reading through the Bible has been a blessing to you! E-mail us at 2018bible@vcyamerica.org or call and leave a message at 414-885-5370.
Behold, the Lord thy God hath set the land before thee: go up and possess it, as the Lord God of thy fathers hath said unto thee; fear not, neither be discouraged. (Deuteronomy 1:21)
There is a heritage of grace which we ought to be bold enough to win for our possession. All that one believer has gained is free to another. We may be strong in faith, fervent in love, and abundant in labor; there is nothing to prevent it; let us go up and take possession. The sweetest experience and the brightest grace are as much for us as for any of our brethren; Jehovah has set it before us; no one can deny our right; let us go up and possess it in His name.
The world also lies before us to be conquered for the Lord Jesus. We are not to leave any country or corner of it unsubdued. That slum near our house is before us, not to baffle our endeavors, but to yield to them. We have only to summon courage enough to go forward, and we shall win dark homes and hard hearts for Jesus. Let us never leave the people in a lane or alley to die because we have not enough faith in Jesus and His gospel to go up and possess the land. No spot is too benighted, no person so profane as to be beyond the power of grace. Cowardice, begone! Faith marches to the conquest.
Disclosure: This post may contain affiliate links, meaning Beautiful Christian Life LLC may get a commission if you decide to make a purchase through its links, at no cost to you.
“You see that a person is justified by works and not by faith alone.”— James 2:24
It’s not uncommon to hear some people appeal to James 2:24 in order to argue that God saves people by faith plus works. In particular, some argue against the doctrine of justification by faith alone by appealing to this verse. They tend to pit Paul, who writes that we are justified by faith and not works, against James, who apparently writes that we are justified by faith plus works. This raises the question, who is right? What are we to believe? Are Paul and James actually at odds with each other? No, they are not.
Simply put, although they are using the same verb, justification (in Greek it is also the same verb, dikaioō), they are using it differently. Paul is using it in its legal declarative sense, but James is using it in an evidential sense. They are complementing each other, not opposing each other.
Questions concerning Paul and James begin with Paul writing in Romans 3-5 about justification as a declarative act of God grounded in the work of Christ and received by faith. James, on the other hand, is writing about sanctification—the gracious work of God that necessarily follows from justification.
James’ primary concern is that a person who has been justified will have good works that demonstrate their faith. True saving faith—the instrument of justification (e.g., Rom. 5:1; Eph. 2:8)—necessarily leads to sanctification, and sanctification is evidence of saving faith versus merely a faith that believes in mere knowledge (see James 2:19).
In order to help understand how Paul and James complement one another, there are two important terms to define: justification and sanctification.The Westminster Shorter Catechism provides good and concise definitions of each one.
According to Question 33, “Justification is an act of God’s free grace, wherein he pardons all our sins and accepts us as righteous in his sight, only for the righteousness of Christ imputed to us and received by faith alone.”
Question 35 defines sanctification as “the work of God’s free grace, whereby we are renewed in the whole man after the image of God and are enabled more and more to die unto sin, and live unto righteousness.”
Notice that the actor in both is God, and both are of free grace (e.g., not our works, but grace—a gift of God). The difference, however, is that justification is God’s “act” and sanctification is God’s “work.” The word act means a single event at a distinct point in time. In the case of justification, it is a single declarative act by God. On the other hand, sanctification is a “work” of God that changes us—in particular, enabling us to die more and more unto sin and to live unto righteousness.
James is writing about how true justifying faith leads to sanctification—to good works. He writes that a mere intellectual faith that does not lead to good works is dead (2:17). The question is then, what do good works do? Do they make us right with God? Or do they show that God has justified a person and is now sanctifying that person?
The Westminster Confession of Faith describes part of James’ argument this way: “These good works, done in obedience to God’s commandments, are the fruits and evidences of a true and lively faith” (WCF 16.2). Notice the word “evidences.” James seems to be using the verb justify in an evidential sense—our good works are evidence that show what kind of person has saving faith, the faith which is the instrument by which God justifies us.
Paul, on the other hand, is using the verb in the sense of a judicial declaration. (For examples of justify used this way, see Deuteronomy 25:1, Proverbs, 17:15.)
James, however, is using the verb justify in a sense similar to a way it is used elsewhere in Scripture. (See Matt. 11:19, Luke 7:35; and 1 Tim. 3:16 where the verb is used of Christ who, being absolutely perfect, needed no declarative justification like sinners need.) In fact, previous to James 2:24, James writes, “show me your works” (James 2:18). It’s as though James is saying, “Show what kind of person you are.” Let your good works show that God is sanctifying you such that you are bearing the fruit of good works. Paul and James are not using the verb justify in precisely the same sense, nor are they opposing one another.
When James writes in 2:10 that we are guilty if we fail to keep even a single point of God’s law, he is helping make clear to us that our works cannot lead to justification in the sense in which Paul is using the word. All humans have sinned, making all guilty before God—works cannot change that. In other words, our works cannot make us right with God (justification). Rather, God graciously justifies his people on the basis of Christ’s work, which is received by faith. Once justified, God further sanctifies his people whose works are evidence that they are actually God’s people through faith in Christ.
James uses Abraham as an example to help us understand these points. In James 2:23, he quotes Genesis 15:6 where it is written that Abraham believed God and it (Abraham’s faith) was counted to him as righteousness. This is justification as a declarative act of God in the same sense that Paul wrote about in Romans 4:2-5 concerning Abraham being justified by faith and not works. In verse 2:23, James quotes the same Scripture (Gen. 15:6) as Paul quoted it.
To bolster his argument that faith without works is dead, James refers to the example of Abraham when he offered up Isaac on an altar. In Genesis 22 (after Abraham’s faith was counted by God as righteousness; Gen. 15:6), Abraham showed what kind of man he was: a man of true faith; a man who believed God and was justified by faith; a man who showed by his actions that he was a man of saving faith; a man who believed that if he had put Isaac to death, God would raise him from the dead because God had sworn that the promised offspring would come through Isaac (Gen. 15:4; Heb. 11:17-19). Abraham’s justification by faith—an act of God—was shown to be real in his sanctification, a work of God—his faith was tested and yielded the fruit of good works (James 2:22). God’s justification necessarily leads to God’s sanctification.
Abraham and those whom God has justified by faith in Christ show themselves to be true people of faith by their sanctification as they bear the fruits and evidences of a true and lively faith.
The Hole in Our Holiness: Filling the Gap between Gospel Passion and the Pursuit of Godliness by Kevin DeYoung
In this brief article I want to clarify something that can easily be misconstrued. A spiritual point that I often make to other believers can be open to misunderstanding or misinterpretation, so let me explain just a bit more about what I am calling for.
I have often spoken about the need to be biblically balanced, and how we must avoid unbiblical extremes. There are many clear examples of this. As but one, we can sometimes get things wrong when it comes to Satan and demons. Some believers live as if neither one exist, while some other believers seem to see demons and the devil under every rock.
Or as C. S. Lewis had put it in the preface to his 1942 classic, The Screwtape Letters: “There are two equal and opposite errors into which our race can fall about the devils. One is to disbelieve in their existence. The other is to believe, and to feel an excessive and unhealthy interest in them. They themselves are equally pleased by both errors and hail a materialist or a magician with the same delight.”
So there are many areas in which believers can go to unhelpful extremes. But even this warning about avoiding extremes can be misunderstood or misused. There are various things I am NOT saying when I make this sort of caution about keeping the biblical balance.
The first thing I do not mean is this: On some doctrinal and theological issues in which there are various sides to the matter, there is a need to fully push ALL aspects of a biblical truth. Consider the old problem of how we reconcile the sovereignty of God with human responsibility.
What I am NOT saying here is that the biblical middle and biblical balance means we take 50 per cent of the one and take 50 per cent of the other. Nope, that is not how we proceed here. Instead, we are to take 100 per cent of the one and 100 per cent of the other.
BOTH must be fully affirmed, just as Scripture fully affirms each one. Sure, our fallen and finite minds will struggle with how we can hold the two together as we push each one to the max. They are not contradictory truths, but they seem paradoxical to us.
So in this case, we are not looking for a soft gooey centre, like with a caramel chocolate, but two strong, firm tines of a fork. Both are needed and both must go together. Or for a better illustration, we must fully insist on both the left wing of an airplane and the right wing.
Any ideas of lopping off half of each wing to avoid excess or extremes will just not help here. Biblical truths – even those that seem to maybe counteract each other – must be insisted upon. Thus in that sense moderation is not what we are after.
For a fuller discussion of how divine sovereignty and human responsibility go together, see this piece for example: https://billmuehlenberg.com/2012/02/08/on-god%e2%80%99s-sovereignty/
And a reading list on this matter: https://billmuehlenberg.com/2011/11/28/readings-in-divine-sovereignty-and-human-responsibility/
A second and related thing I am not calling for is this: When I say we must avoid various extremes, that is not the same as saying we should simply always run with a lukewarmness about things. For example, when I recently put up a social media post about these matters, someone responded with this comment: “moderation in all things and setting scriptural boundaries go a long way”.
He was seeking to affirm what I was saying, but I had to make this reply. “Yes, although moderation is not always the same as biblical balance. For example, we should not be moderate in our love for Christ – we should love him 100%. We should not be moderately faithful to our spouse – we should be 100% faithful.”
“Moderation,” as one website puts it, is “the quality of being moderate; restraint; avoidance of extremes or excesses; temperance. the act of moderating.” But as I just said above, sometimes the Christian is called to be extreme. As mentioned, being fully sold out to Christ and putting him above everyone and everything else is what we are called to do.
But many people might regard that as extreme. Well, there are good and bad extremes. It is good to be extremely committed to Christ, even to be thought of as being a fool for Christ. That is a good thing. It is good to trust God 100 per cent, to seek God 100 per cent, to serve God 100 per cent, to pray to God 100 per cent, to work for God 100 per cent, and to be an ambassador for God 100 per cent. In these and other areas we do not want to be moderate. We want to be extremists, rightly understood.
So a secular notion of moderation does not always fit when we discuss biblical balance. Yes, in many areas in the Christian life there is a place for moderation and the avoidance of excess. For example, if a pastor spends all of his time at church and neglects his own family, then he clearly has things out of balance.
Or if a husband is so ‘spiritual’ that he reads his Bible 12 hours a day and does not go to work to earn some money to feed his wife and children, then he needs to get his life back into balance – he has things out of whack. Balance and moderation in some areas are needed.
But in other areas, we want to give 100 per cent. We want to simultaneously give 100 per cent to God, to family, and to looking after ourselves. We do not want to give each just 33 per cent. Sure, while in terms of priorities we usually say God first, then family, then ministry, we can still be fully committed to each area.
We get that in the two great commandments: loving God and loving others. We should seek to do each 100 per cent. Yes, even here there is an order to follow. That is, we may not really be able to love our neighbour as ourselves until we first love God. But you get my point.
So let us strive for biblical balance when and where needed. And let us use moderation in things that make sense to be moderate in, but not in all things. Some things we must not be moderate in at all. In some areas it is good to be extreme.
[1084 words]
The post Moderation and Biblical Balance appeared first on CultureWatch.
Strong and shallow M6.0 earthquake hits near the coast of southern Peru
A strong and shallow earthquake registered by the USGS as M6.0 hit near the coast of southern Peru at 14:47 UTC on June 16, 2024. The agency is reporting a depth of 19.9 km (12.3 miles). EMSC is reporting M6.0 at a depth of 20 km (12.4 miles).
Shallow M6.0 earthquake hits west of Macquarie Island
A strong and shallow earthquake registered by the USGS as M6.0 hit west of Macquarie Island, southwestern Pacific Ocean at 00:27 UTC on June 16, 2024. The agency is reporting a depth of 7 km (4.3 miles). EMSC is reporting M6.0 at a depth of 19 km (11.8 miles).
Dangerous heat wave looms for over 135 million this week from Chicago to New York
The first widespread heat wave of the year is about to unfold over the eastern and central United States with the AccuWeather RealFeel® Temperatures occasionally approaching the 100-degree mark.
Germany could soon be screening 18-year-olds to boost military recruits
The war in Ukraine has Europe on edge, and German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius is proposing a new model of military service. He wants compulsory screening of potential recruits to strengthen the army in a context of heightened risk. Under the draft, presented by Boris Pistorius to the defense committee.
Revealed: Adobe issues new terms of service giving it ‘licenses to your content.’ Law Enforcement Today is telling them to stick it.
Adios, Adobe. It’s been fun. Law Enforcement Today and our affiliated companies have made the decision to cut ties with Adobe after their recent change in terms of service which would permit the company to look at your files and existing projects in what they claim is for “content moderation.”
The Hunger Games: A simulation exercise that reveals their strategy for the war on food
In 2015 a two-day simulation game was held dubbed by some as the “hunger games” 65 people played out a food crisis simulation set in the years 2020 to 2030. Do you recall a pandemic simulation held in 2019 called Event 201 that served as a dress rehearsal for the response to the covid “pandemic” in 2020?
Eugenics is quietly returning; what does this mean for future humans?
We don’t get to choose which of our genes we pass on. Every conception is a roll of the dice. But that could be about to change with emerging technology called “preimplantation genetic testing for polygenic disorders.”
The Seven Raptures: Why The Catching Away Of The Church Is Not A Biblically Unprecedented Event
A lot of people find the idea of a rapture, a snatching away of people to heaven without dying, very difficult to accept. It seems too strange and too bizarre to be true. “After all,” they say, “nothing like that’s ever happened before!” But that’s actually not true.
Eight troops killed in Rafah explosion, in deadliest incident for IDF in 6 months
Eight Israeli soldiers were killed in a blast in southern the Gaza Strip’s Rafah on Saturday morning, the military announced, in what marked the deadliest incident for the Israel Defense Forces in the enclave since January.
While Chicago Schools Fail Students, Teachers Union Demands Climate Action Contract
“…that according to documents leaked to Fox News in May, the $50 billion they are asking for includes a 9% wage hike, fully paid abortions for its members, new migrant services and facilities, and a myriad of LGBT-related requirements.
Over 12,000 Acres Near Los Angeles is on Fire — More Than 1,200 People Evacuated So Far
A massive wildfire just outside Los Angeles, California, has spread to 12,265 acres and was only two percent contained on Sunday afternoon.
California Border Patrol Seizes 25 Semi-Automatic Rifles Being Smuggled to Mexican Cartel
Border Patrol Agents at the California and Arizona border have seized 25 AK-style rifles, two handguns, and ammunition magazines that they believe were en route to a Mexican cartel.
Israeli cabinet to act against PA, unilateral Palestinian statehood
Israel to ‘strengthen’ Jewish settlements in West Bank after countries recognize Palestinian state
Biden Adviser in Israel Monday to Avert Israel, Lebanon Escalation
IDF warns Hezbollah is bringing Israel to the brink of a ‘wider escalation’
Hezbollah bigger challenge than Hamas to Israel: ‘Crown jewel in the Iranian empire of terror’
Fighting will continue in Rafah until Hamas is defeated there, says IDF general
11 funerals for IDF commanders, soldiers held across Israel as nation mourns
Netanyahu tells ministers he’s disbanding war cabinet, amid Ben Gvir’s demands to join
PM hints at disagreements with IDF: Israel is a ‘country with an army, not an army with a country’
High Court orders state comptroller to suspend October 7 probe into IDF, Shin Bet
Netanyahu Denounces Tactical Pauses in Gaza Fighting to Get in Aid
UK ‘morally incoherent’ for sending arms to Israel and aid to Gaza, says Oxfam chief
Flies, mosquitoes, raw sewage and mountains of garbage threaten to worsen Gaza’s health crisis
Docs: Al Jazeera Is Hamas’ ‘Propaganda, Intelligence Arm’
Maldives Effort to Ban Israelis Faces Challenge: Arabs with Israeli Passports
ISIS kills dozens of Christians in DRC; churches close after latest attacks
Yemen’s Houthis attacks two ships and American destroyer
Nuclear arms spending soars as global tensions ratchet up, studies show
Russian forces storm a detention facility to rescue staff taken hostage, killing hostage-takers
Map Shows Russia’s Probing NATO Borders with Airspace Violations
Peace talks tomorrow if Russia leaves Ukraine – Zelensky
78 Countries Agree Territorial Integrity of Ukraine Essential
Sullivan: Putin’s Ukraine Peace Proposal ‘Defies Basic Morality’
Forever War: Zelensky, Western Leaders Reject Putin Ceasefire Proposals at Swiss Peace Summit
Tom Cotton: ‘Putin Only Invades Ukraine When Democrats Are President’
Nyet Parusky: Ukrainians want the Bible translated into their own language
Jimmy Kimmel Says America ‘Might Need an Exorcism’ at Hollywood Biden Fundraiser
Joe Biden unironically declares Saturday June 15 ‘World Elder Abuse Awareness Day’
Rep. Anna Paulina Luna Says She Has Heard Biden Will ‘Likely’ Be Replaced as Democrat Nominee
GOP Rep says House sergeant-at-arms should take Garland into custody
House Republican urges SCOTUS to overturn Trump verdict
Election integrity advocates score wins in majority of lawsuits ahead of November
6.0 magnitude earthquake hits near Atiquipa, Peru
5.2 magnitude earthquake hits the Fiji region
5.1 magnitude earthquake hits near Houma, Tonga
Sabancaya volcano in Peru erupts to 23,000ft
Popocateptl volcano in Mexico erupts to 20,000ft
Semeru volcano in Indonesia erupts to 15,000ft
Ibu volcano in Indonesia erupts to 14,000ft
Marapi volcano in Indonesia erupts to 10,000ft
Lewotobi volcano in Indonesia erupts to 10,000ft
Extreme rainfall, deadly floods and landslides hit China’s Fujian, forcing 36,000 to evacuate
Tropical rainstorm to bring deluge of rain to Texas, Louisiana
Extremely heavy rains hit Abidjan, causing deadly floods, Ivory Coast
Much of US Braces for Extreme Weather, from Southern Heat Wave to Possible Snow in the Rockies
Summer snow in Montana, NWS issues rare June Winter Storm Watch
14 Jordanians Die in Intense Heat During Hajj Pilgrimage
A fast-moving wildfire spreads north of Los Angeles, forcing evacuations
Strong winds, steep terrain hamper crews battling Los Angeles area’s first major fire of the year
House Judiciary Republicans take aim at ‘climate cartel’ on accusations of antitrust activities
Singapore rushes to clean up oil slick after boat hits fuel supply ship
Singapore oil slick closes beaches on resort island
Police: 5 shot during event in Cincinnati park; all injuries considered non-life-threatening
Two dead after Juneteenth festival shooting in Round Rock, Texas
House Intel Committee Chair Says US is at ‘Highest Level of a Possible Terrorist Threat’
Border Patrol in California Seizes 25 AK-Style Rifles Destined for Mexican Cartel
Report: Migrants, MS-13, and Russian Fraudsters Form Massive NYC Injury Insurance Scheme
‘Kissing and petting’: Trump ‘spiritual advisor’ tries to dismiss molesting 12-year old
Longtime Southern Baptist leader Paul Pressler, who was accused of sexual abuse, dies at 94
Several injured after ‘chemical agent,’ fireworks caused mass exodus at Baltimore Pride event
First Gay Pride in Ukraine since beginning of Russian invasion takes place in Kyiv
LGBTQ soldiers in Ukraine hope their service is changing attitudes as they rally for legal rights
Canadian doctors demand ability to offer child sex change services via video call
New Hampshire Teacher Fired After Taking Student to Get an Abortion Behind Parents’ Backs
After Roe v. Wade repeal, abortion migration stats trending up from southern to northern states
Couples Sue After Being Kicked Out of State Foster Care Program Over Christian Beliefs
“From The Patriot Post (patriotpost.us)”.
“The great security against a gradual concentration of the several powers in the same department, consists in giving to those who administer each department the necessary constitutional means and personal motives to resist encroachments of the others.” —James Madison (1788)
| ON THIS DAY in 1775, the Patriots fought the British at the Battle of Bunker Hill near Boston, the first major battle of the war. Ordered not to fire on the advancing 2,000 British regulars “until you see the whites of their eyes,” more than 3,200 Patriots took out half of the enemy soldiers before running out of ammunition and falling back. It was technically a British victory, but it invigorated and encouraged the Patriots. |
Douglas Andrews, Thomas Gallatin, & Jordan Candler
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—Mark Alexander, Publisher
No executive agency can write the laws, said SCOTUS in striking down the ATF’s ban on bump stocks.
Nate Jackson
The Rule of Law and constitutional separation of powers matter, said the Supreme Court in Friday’s 6-3 ruling in Garland v. Cargill. In striking down the bump stock ban issued by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives in 2017, the Court said the case was less about the Second Amendment than it was a rebuke of executive overreach.
“On more than 10 separate occasions,” noted Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas in his majority opinion, the ATF declined to regulate bump stocks because they do not qualify as machine guns under the National Firearms Act of 1934. That law all but banned “machineguns” and was later upheld by the Supreme Court in United States v. Miller (1939). The law defined a “machinegun” as “any weapon which shoots, is designed to shoot, or can be readily restored to shoot, automatically more than one shot, without manual reloading, by a single function of the trigger” (26 U.S.C. §5845(b) [emphasis added]).
Thus, Thomas took space in his ruling to explain the basic functionality of a bump stock: A machine gun “automatically” fires multiple rounds “by a single function of the trigger,” he said, but bump stocks don’t do that. They are instead “a plastic casing that allows every other part of the rifle to slide back and forth.” That helps fire rounds more quickly, but it is not, based on the statutory language, a machine gun. That definition, Thomas said, “hinges on how many shots discharge when the shooter engages the trigger.” A rifle with a bump stock is still a semiautomatic weapon — one bullet per trigger pull.
The ATF issued the ban under Donald Trump after the Las Vegas massacre, in which the killer used rifles affixed with bump stocks to murder 58 people and wound more than 500. The political pressure to “do something” was immense, and as is often the case these days, it’s easier to let bureaucrats make those decisions than for members of Congress to make tough votes.
Congress abdicating its authority does not confer it on the ATF, no matter how much Democrats hilariously caterwaul about the Supreme Court “legislating from the bench.” No, the Court prohibited the ATF from legislating in Congress’s stead.
There are more than half a million bump stocks in circulation, bought legally by American citizens before the ban. Turning law-abiding citizens into felons with the stroke of a bureaucratic pen is not consistent with the Rule of Law — or even the “democracy” that left-wingers are so hot and bothered about protecting.
Justice Sonia Sotomayor was caught up in the emotion of it all, as well. In her dissent, she even tried to argue with Thomas on the technicality of function. “Just as the shooter of an M16 need only pull the trigger and maintain backward pressure (on the trigger),” she wrote, “a shooter of a bump-stock-equipped AR-15 need only pull the trigger and maintain forward pressure (on the gun).” That’s simply incorrect.
Amusingly, Sotomayor scored what in soccer is known as an own goal, writing, “Within a matter of minutes, using several hundred rounds of ammunition, the [Las Vegas] shooter killed 58 people and wounded over 500. He did so by affixing bump stocks to commonly available, semiautomatic rifles.”
Did you catch that? “Commonly available.” In its 2008 Heller ruling, the Supreme Court determined that the Second Amendment, at the very least, protects firearms “in common use.” Sotomayor just admitted — in a Supreme Court dissent on firearms law — that AR-15s are in common use.
Second Amendment advocate Charles C.W. Cooke writes, “Sotomayor even uses the word ‘common’! Not ‘everyday’ or ‘universal’ or ‘normal’ or ‘usual,’ but common — the very word that was used in Heller.”
She’s right, of course, and that goes a long way to undermining Joe Biden’s commonly used refrain demanding a renewed ban on such firearms. He often demands a ban, by the way, in conjunction with threatening the American people with F-15s and sometimes even nuclear weapons. Both are more lethal than bump stocks.
Sotomayor was wrong, however, to write, “When I see a bird that walks like a duck, swims like a duck, and quacks like a duck, I call that bird a duck.” If the law says it’s a bird, it’s a bird.
Again, the point of this ruling is primarily about the constitutional separation of powers, which Justice Samuel Alito made plain in his concurrence. “There is a simple remedy for the disparate treatment of bump stocks and machineguns,” he says. “Congress can amend the law — and perhaps would have done so already if ATF had stuck with its earlier interpretation. Now that the situation is clear, Congress can act.”
This ruling will no doubt have an effect on other ATF cases. The bureau already lost a pistol brace case before a district court last week, as well as a case dealing with the definition of a gun dealer back in April.
In short, the ATF is not empowered to enact the Left’s gun-grabbing agenda without legislation passed by our elected representatives. And even then, the government is bound by the Second Amendment. Memo to Joe Biden and other presidents: Governing by executive diktat is no way to preserve “democracy.”
Follow Nate Jackson on X/Twitter.
For more of today’s columns, visit Right Opinion.
The BIG Lies
“Our personnel have done an extraordinary job in implementing a very big shift in how we operate on the southern border.” —DHS Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas
“The Supreme Court is [sic] never been as out of kilter as it is today. I mean, never.” —Joe Biden
“I think there’s a crisis on the Court. … This Court is becoming brazenly corrupt and brazenly political.” —Senator Chris Murphy (D-CT)
Dumb & Dumber
“I’m extremely proud of my son Hunter. … He’s one of the brightest, most decent men I know.” —Joe Biden
“You have a president of the United States who is [the] living embodiment of the rule of law.” —MSNBC’s Andrew Weissmann
“Joe isn’t one of the most effective presidents of our lives in spite of his age but because of it.” —Jill Biden
Who Wants to Tell Them?
“I, JOSEPH R. BIDEN JR., President of the United States of America, by virtue of the authority vested in me by the Constitution and the laws of the United States, do hereby proclaim June 15, 2024, as World Elder Abuse Awareness Day.” —A Proclamation on World Elder Abuse Awareness Day, 2024
For the Record
“The clips of Biden aimlessly wandering off are bad. But make no mistake: behind the scenes, Biden’s performance is much, much worse.” —Senator Tom Cotton (R-AR)
Upright
“I think [addiction] is a very serious thing. … It’s a very tough situation for a father. It’s a very tough situation for a brother or sister … whether it’s alcohol or drugs or whatever it may be.” —Donald Trump with some compassion for Hunter Biden (“Of course, no other addicts collect millions of dollars in graft from foreign governments and set aside cuts for the ‘Big Guy.’” —Mark Alexander)
Political Futures
“How is it that having an uncle cannibalized would reflect favorably on you? What gears must turn in the political mind to trick oneself into believing this? Has anyone ever looked at a candidate and thought, ‘I like where he stands on taxes, but I’m concerned that no one in his family was turned into a plate of ribs’?” —Christian Schneider
“It is easy to rally the people against what they all hate: corrupt, lawless dictatorships. It takes a superhuman effort to unify people behind a new allocation of power in which the rule of law is king and the king is not law. People who gravitate to politics are characteristically sociopaths with insatiable cravings for absolute power. They abhor separation of powers, which arrests dictatorial ambitions.” —Armstrong Williams
And Last…
“Israel is the only nation on earth that is tasked with protecting its own people and its enemies. Every innocent lost life is, of course, a tragedy. But if you don’t want to be placed in harm’s way, don’t hold hostages in your homes and neighborhoods, and don’t cheer and support a government that puts your life in constant danger for a lost cause.” —David Harsanyi
For more of today’s memes, visit the Memesters Union.
For more of today’s cartoons, visit the Cartoons archive.
“From The Patriot Post (patriotpost.us)”.
“From The Patriot Post (patriotpost.us)”.
“From The Patriot Post (patriotpost.us)”.
Israel warns Hezbollah against an all-out war as it’s launched more than 5,000 projectiles into northern Israel since the war began, forcing nearly 100,000 to leave their homes, and IDF spokesman Daniel Hagari says Iran is behind it all; 12 Israeli soldiers killed in separate incidents in 24 hours; IDF to take daily pause in fighting to allow aid into Gaza; Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu dissolves War Cabinet; Itamar Marcus of Palestinian Media Watch talks to CBN News about the potential dangers of a Palestinian state; heat wave expected across US as firefighters battle powerful blazes in California; why there’s a growing number of chaplains in public schools across the country; and turning a trial into a testimony: how Lighthouse Church in Florida rebuilt their church after a devastating hurricane destroyed it, and how CBN’s Operation Blessing came to help.
CBN News. Because Truth Matters™
— Read on www.youtube.com/watch
Submitted by QTR’s Fringe Finance
Here’s a noncontroversial statement: Joe Biden is unfit to be President of the United States. Democrats know it, Republicans know it, people in the media know it, other world leaders know it, you know it, and I know it.
Putting aside your partisan biases for a second, think of the endless deluge of clips where the current President of the United States trails off while talking, mumbles incoherently, loses his frame of reference, shakes hands with nobody, trips and falls, falls asleep, or stares off into outer space during important international gatherings.
I know this isn’t just a case of my “lying eyes” or simply taking clips out of context because friends of mine who lean left also notice it and tell me that they wish the Democrats would run another candidate.
Last week, a clip surfaced where Joe Biden, in the midst of a meeting with Italy’s Giorgia Meloni and other world leaders at the G7 summit, wanders off from the group of leaders and needs to be directed back to where to stand by Meloni, who assists him.
One ally at the summit reportedly said about Biden it’s the ‘worst he has ever been’.
This follows another clip that surfaced last week of Biden alongside Vice President Kamala Harris, her husband, some dude in a dress, and a crowd full of people dancing to gospel music at the White House. As the room claps along, dances, and sways to Kirk Franklin, Biden rigidly sways for a couple seconds and then appears frozen, staring straight ahead, paralyzed, like the first time I took a whole 10 mg THC edible.
These are just the latest two incidents in a bizarre series of gaffes over the last four years for Biden. While Democrats in my life at least have the decency and presence of mind to realize they would sound idiotic trying to make the argument that Biden is still sharp, the media has no such finesse and no such decency.
In fact, last week, multiple left-wing commentators took to MSNBC to make the argument that the video clip of Biden wandering off from Giorgia Meloni was nothing more than a classic case of misinformation. They argued that it was “disinformation” — stop me if you’ve heard that one before.
The evidence that Biden appears lost is right in front of their face, yet with a straight face, they tell their viewers that the clip is being taken out of context. The next day, the media was till at it, turning their attention to why Trump is not well and fit for office, and acting as though Biden’s mental faculties are rock solid and time tested.
To quote Will Smith in “Men in Black”, “What you think you saw, you did not see.”
“Just do us a favor and look right here.”
As a strategy for Democrats, lying has been extremely effective.
It has helped them sidestep consequences from the inconvenient facts that we were lied to about vaccines and mandates, we were likely lied to about the origin of the COVID virus, we were lied to about the United States’ role in gain-of-function research, we were lied to about Joe Biden’s involvement in his son’s international business dealings, we were lied to about “peaceful” protests that saw unconscionable private property damage post-George Floyd, we have been lied to about the jobs numbers, we’ve been lied to about inflation being at 9% when Joe Biden took office, and we were lied to — and subsequently censored — about Hunter Biden’s laptop just one month before the pivotal 2020 election.
🔥 80% OFF: Since it’s officially summer, I’m going to offer up my largest discount of the year for Fringe Finance: Get 80% off forever
Then, 51 former intelligence officials went full hara-kari with their credibility by vouching for the false Russian disinformation story we were being fed about the laptop. Quite the effort, no?
Those are just the examples I can rattle off from the top of my head, but together they make up a compendium of vitally crucial issues in the recent history of our country that have no doubt played a material role in our elections.
And I admit, on both sides of the aisle, lying has always been synonymous with politics. For as long as I’ve been alive, people have been saying politicians lie, and they haven’t been wrong.
But something has changed, as I recently talked about with my friend Chris Martensen on Peak Prosperity. The advent of alternative digital media and the ease with which individuals can now conduct research and fact-check things themselves is far greater than it has ever been. It only takes some critical thinking, or in the case of trying to figure out whether Joe Biden is lucid, a quick 2-second interval of simply opening your eyes on Twitter or YouTube, to determine whether or not you’re being lied to now.
“Biden is sharp and claims to the contrary are ‘disinformation’,” Exhibit #413
What I said to Chris in our interview was that in the old days, a lie could solidify itself globally and it could be 15 to 20 years before the lying party offers a limited hangout that suggests to the public something may not have been truthful in years past.
Nowadays, with alternative media and the Internet, that window between telling the lie and the public beginning to unearth the objective truth has slammed shut.
“Back in the day, if you had a Gulf of Tonkin incident or an Operation Northwoods, or whatever, it would be 10 years later there would be a limited hangout. Fifteen years later, there would be a little bit more, and 20 years later, it would have kind of homogenized itself in the zeitgeist of everything, and everybody one day just kind of walks around and accepts the fact that, you know, ‘Oh, the Gulf of Tonkin was made up’,” I told Chris.
“But now, the internet has sped that whole process up and alternative media has sped that up. So, from 2020, you know, that check has come due right now. You know, the Hunter Biden lies—that check has come due now. The Ivermectin lies—that check has come due now.”
I know this because Democrats are now witnessing the consequences of the lies that they’ve just told over the last four years.
There’s no way to avoid the fact that the Democratic party is in shambles right now.
Democrats are bleeding crucial demographics that they otherwise would have normally been expected to carry with ease. The reasoning for this? Their lack of finesse in executing their political strategy and the speed with which people are able to discern that they are being lied to.
A better way to say this? People are simply finally waking up.
What has been fascinating to watch is the party’s inability to read the room, now replete with people who are unamused by their detachment from truth and reality.
I argued last week that some mindfulness and humility would do the Democratic Party some good and maybe even win it respect from the likes of people like myself and other centrists or libertarians.
But based on MSNBC parading obvious lies about Joe Biden’s mental acuity last week and continuing to try to blame the everyday citizen for not being smart enough to understand what it is that they’re looking at, it seems like the party simply remains on a hamster wheel of self-destruction.
Hopefully, they’ll learn the hard way during election season, similar to what we saw in Europe last week.
But as a simple outside observer and concerned citizen, it’s a great time for us all to be reminded that no part of the left seems to be conceding reality or adapting their political strategy.
Which means the key lesson to keep in mind heading into November is that no matter how sensational the headline or how concerned they tell us we should be about an issue, the most important thing is to remember: we can, and will, be lied to about anything and everything.
— Read on www.zerohedge.com/markets/we-can-be-lied-about-anything
Dr. Ben Carson was on “Sunday Morning Futures” with Maria Bartiromo on Sunday to discuss Biden’s health issues.
“Do you believe President Biden Makes it to the election?” Bartiromo asked Dr. Carson.
“They are gathering and trying to figure out how they get out of this dilemma which they created because they knew from the beginning that he was having some cognitive issues,” Dr. Carson said.
“There is such a desire for power and prestige that you put the welfare of the country and the people on the back burner,” Dr. Carson continued.
“They don’t have anything to run on so all they do is try to demonize Donald Trump,” Dr. Carson said.
Watch:
Dr. Carson also talked about swing voters regarding the 2024 election.
“We are talking about the cost of essentials which is really the main issue when people go to vote,” Bartiromo commented.
“All of these very, very, deep blue areas are now questionable for the Democrats,” Bartiromo continued.
“The polling shows that Trump is tied with Biden in Virginia which is traditionally quite a blue state and is leading in Pennsylvania. I think that is going to continue to grow,” Dr. Carson said.
Watch:
Biden’s cognitive decline was most recently evident while he was at the G7 Summit in Italy and wandered off during a skydive performance last week.
Watch:
The post Dr. Ben Carson on Biden’s Health: “They Knew from the Beginning That he was Having Some Cognitive Issues” (VIDEO) appeared first on The Gateway Pundit.
The United Nations has warned that the world’s unprecedented debt threatens the global economy.
by Stefan Bos, Worthy News Correspondent
NEW YORK/GENEVA/BUDAPEST (Worthy News) – The United Nations has warned that the world’s unprecedented debt threatens the global economy.
In a new report monitored by Worthy News, the U.N. notices that public debt, including “domestic and external general government borrowing,” reached “a historic peak of $97 trillion in 2023,” up by $5.6 trillion from the previous year.
The report titled” A world of debt 2024: A growing burden to global prosperity” clarifies that the debt burden will be unsustainable for billions of people.
The report estimates that 3.3 billion individuals reside in nations where interest payments exceed spending on either education or health.
“In Africa, the average person’s spending on interest ($70) surpasses that of education ($60) and health ($39) per capita. A staggering 769 million Africans live in countries where interest payments outweigh investments in either education or health, accounting for nearly two-thirds of the entire population,” the report said.
Particularly in Africa, “faltering economies in the wake of multiple global crises have resulted in a heavier debt burden. The number of African countries with debt-to-[Gross Domestic Product] GDP rations above 60 percent has increased from 6 to 27 between 2013 and 2023.”
HUGE INTEREST PAYMENTS
Yet repaying debt has become more costly, hitting developing countries “disproportionately,” the U.N. researchers claim.
“In 2023, developing nations paid $847 billion in net interest, a 26 percent increase from 2021. They borrowed internationally at rates two to four times higher than the U.S. and six to 12 times higher than Germany.”
The rapid rise in interest costs is limiting budgets in developing countries, Worthy News learned.
“Presently, half of them designate a minimum of 8 percent of government revenues to debt servicing, a number that has doubled in the last ten years,” the report warns.
“Moreover, in 2023, a historic 54 developing nations, with almost half in Africa, dedicated a minimum of 10 percent of government funds to debt interest payments.”
The U.N. says the debt burden also undermines the fight against “global warming” that its scientists claim is caused by humans.
“With the crisis intensifying, actions to limit global warming to 1.5 Celsius (34.7 Fahrenheit) become urgent,” the report stresses.
COUNTRIES URGENCY
“Despite this urgency, developing countries are currently allocating a larger proportion of their GDP to interest payments (2.4 percent than to climate initiatives (2.1 percent). Debt is limiting their capacity to tackle climate change.”
The report proposes an overhaul of the world’s financial system and the availability of faster cash for poorer developing nations.
“Expand contingency finance to provide greater liquidity in times of crisis, so that countries are not forced into debt as a last resort,” is one of the advises.
The report proposes “a plan to revamp the global financial system and boost the U.N. Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) stimulus package to tackle the current debt crisis.”
Yet, with the world debt approaching $100 trillion, it remained unclear whether that amount could ever be printed or how much could be forgiven in global debt relief.
The post World Debt Approaching 100 Trillion Threatening Global Economy (Worthy News Focus) appeared first on Worthy Christian News.
As society continues to eat of the toxic fruit of the sexual revolution, those feeling its sickening effects must take the only antidote available: repent and fully submit to Christ.
Western society sacralizes sexuality, and nowhere is this more evident than during Pride Month.
The great, unfortunate lie that our culture has embraced teaches that sexuality makes up the very core of a person’s identity. And if that is true, then why let moral restrictions written long ago in a book you don’t even believe in stop you from fulfilling your most basic instincts?
We are now reaping the toxic fruit of the sexual revolution. What started with an embrace of widespread promiscuity continued with open celebrations of same-sex attraction and the idea that men can be women, and vice versa. No one knows how this trend will culminate, but it is terrifying to contemplate.
But that millennia-old book, the Bible, so quickly dismissed by critics, bears an excellent antidote for the culture’s glorification of sin.
Specifically, James’s epistle offers those struggling with same-sex attraction a better path: “Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you” (James 4:7).
Christianity’s critics often blame believers of bigotry for pointing out that homosexuality is a sin. Scripture is clear on this fact (Romans 1:27), and no amount of mental acrobatics can get around the truth.
But we also know that those who identify as “LGBTQ” — whether gay, lesbian, or those with gender dysphoria — are still made in God’s image. We love them, and because we love them we call them to repent of their sin, trust in Christ, submit to God, and resist the devil, as James exhorts.
Secular society rejects this view because it tosses out the very concept of sin. There is no “devil” to resist, no God to offend — and this removes any roadblocks that might exist in the path of such a primal force as sexual temptation.
But we know from Jesus that “everyone who practices sin is a slave to sin” (John 8:34), and we heed Peter’s warning against false teachers who “entice by sensual passions of the flesh those who are barely escaping from those who live in error. They promise them freedom, but they themselves are slaves of corruption. For whatever overcomes a person, to that he is enslaved” (2 Peter 2:18-19).
And sin is a cruel and deceptive slave master. It promises pleasure, but that fleeting pleasure brings not only a weight of eternal condemnation in the next life (if not repented of) but misery and suffering in this one.
The terrible consequences of an LGBT lifestyle are evident not just physically but mentally and spiritually as well. If “sexual liberation” is supposed to make happy those who follow this path, then why are so many of them so miserable?
Why is it, for example, that 50 percent of LGBT-identifying people surveyed between the ages of 18-29 “reported symptoms of depression, compared with about 29% of non-LGBT respondents in this age group,” according to a 2022 Census Bureau report? Why is it that suicide rates among those identifying as “transgender” are tragically stratospheric?
Despite claims to the contrary, these numbers cannot be explained away by saying that society is intolerant of the LGBT movement. Especially in June, rainbow flags — in all their permutations — bedeck storefronts and other buildings everywhere. Corporate training sessions teach employees how to be more LGBT-affirming. LGBT messaging is in TV shows, movies, and commercials. And woe to the man, like Jack Phillips, who refuses to go along.
Even many churches who have flagrantly abandoned biblical doctrine are teaching that there is nothing wrong with actively acting on same-sex attraction.
Those in the age group of 18-29 are alive in what is the most LGBT-adulatory time period in human history, yet they seem to be among the hardest hit when it comes to their mental health.
(Coincidentally, this is true for heterosexual men and women too — Generation Z is growing up in this era of unchecked “sexual liberation,” yet it has still been called “the loneliest generation that the world has seen.”)
So what can explain the high rates of depression and suicide if not the fact that these poor souls have become slaves to sin? They were promised ultimate happiness if they could gain the freedom to indulge in every sexual temptation they could think of. They attained that freedom — and found it a bitter, empty lie that brought no lasting joy.
But there is a better way, and that way lies in submitting to God and resisting the devil.
Jesus encourages this submission in Matthew 11:28-30: “Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.”
Serving the Lord of the universe and rejecting the “father of lies” (John 8:44) can bring those with same-sex attraction true, lasting, enduring peace.
It is a peace that infinitely overtakes the ephemeral satisfaction of indulging sinful sexual desires, which promises joy and delivers ashes. It is a peace that comes from rendering due worship to the only omnipotent, omniscient, truly good Being in this entire universe and knowing that you are forever supported by His everlasting arms (Deuteronomy 33:27), that even the pain in your life ultimately turns to your good (Romans 8:28), and that one day, “He will wipe away every tear” (Revelations 21:4).
What is temporary sexual gratification in the face of a joy like that?
Today’s top headline news brief from NEWSMAX includes:
[1:27] -President Trump speaks with Newsmax about the upcoming debate. [Newsmax Breaking]
[7:14] -Trump’s roundtable discussion with black pastors in Detroit. [Newsmax Breaking]
[10:19] – Trump speaks at Turning Point Action convention in Detroit. [Newsmax Breaking]
[14:14] – Newsmax host Lidia Curanaj says President Biden is a shell of his former self. [Sunday Agenda]
[16:28] – FL Rep. and VP short-lister Byron Donalds visits Meet the Press.
[18:32] – Congress will question Secret Service about odd incident involving team protecting VP Harris.
— Read on www.youtube.com/watch
I feel so much grief about The Christian Post’s recent articles about Pastor Robert Morris of Gateway Church and Pastor Tony Evans. I attended Dallas Theological Seminary (DTS) in the mid 90s and have been a pastor now at Vanguard Church in Colorado Springs for the past 27 years.
Two years ago, I released a book with Vide Press called The Good Pastor, which was primarily endorsed by Dr John Hannah of DTS. When I was a student there, Dr Hannah would say, “You want to be great for God?” I would sit up in my chair and utter under my breath, “Yes!” He would then say, “Don’t quit, don’t fornicate, and you will be the only one left and you will be great.” I sat back in my chair and said to myself, “Is that really it? Is that really all there is to being great for God?”
Sadly, it turns out Dr Hannah was right. Seven years ago, I believe the Lord spoke a prophetic word to me about a particular pastor. I attempted to reach out to that pastor and sadly it ended with his elders threatening me. At that same time in 2017, the Lord Jesus also said to me, “A network of pastors will fall.” And sadly, that has been the case, especially since the pandemic. I am beginning to wonder if there will be anyone left after this season of purging that God is taking His church through.
Many of these stories are very similar in nature. They typically involve sin from years ago with an non-disclosure agreement (NDA) or the attempt of an NDA attached to them. Maybe you are unfamiliar with NDAs. Here is an article I wrote on them a few years ago.
In the process of getting The Good Pastor book published, I reached out to Dr Evans because he was the first African American to receive his doctorate from DTS, he used to speak at the chapel when I was a student there in the 90s and I loved his teaching style and his tenacity to stand strong on the Word of God. Sadly, he declined my request to endorse The Good Pastor book.
Recently he stepped back from pastoring Oak Cliff Bible Church due to sin that occurred years ago. He refuses to go into detail about the nature of the sin, but did say that he did not commit a crime. His cryptic approach to the public confession of his sin has sent the Christian community into a tailspin of speculation and many wonder if he was forced to confess or, at best, why now? Unfortunately, it is unknown and appears it will remain so.
Dr Evans’ confession at 74 is a sobering reminder that the Enemy is no respecter of age, career, years of service, titles, degrees, or size of ministry. The Enemy is seeking to devour all pastors and church leaders. He wants to steal, kill, and destroy every one of them, including you and me.
Paul reminds us in Galatians 6:1: “Brothers, if anyone is caught in any transgression, you who are spiritual should restore him in a spirit of gentleness. Keep watch on yourself, lest you too be tempted.”
Sobering reminder!
Then a few days later Pastor Robert Morris from Gateway Church confessed to “inappropriate sexual behaviour with a young lady” more than 35 years ago, after a woman accused him of molesting her when she was 12. Unfortunately, the Gateway elder board chose at the time to deal with it privately and, after a couple of years, restore him to pastoral ministry.
We all know we are broken (at least I hope you do) and in need of a Saviour, and that Jesus is the only answer. The “amount” of time that has passed and, in this case, 35 years, is irrelevant to God. The actions were offensive to God and I believe the way they were handled both then and now is offensive to God.
Morris’ accuser has alleged that she was asked to sign an NDA. Gateway has not addressed this claim but as a pastor myself, I stand against churches using NDAs to silence victims of misconduct. They are not the answer but only compound the problem, delay the healing, and complicate the future with the past. I do not believe God is okay with this practice in His churches and it is my prayer that churches that have used NDAs publicly repent of it and vow never to do it again.
Lord, as a pastor and leader for your church, I say, “Forgive us Lord and purify us, the leaders of your church. We are the shepherds of your sheep. Don’t let us brush it off or sadly we will fall into a greater grievance in the days ahead.”
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