There are two ways to be fooled. One is to believe what isn’t true; the other is to refuse to believe what is true. —Soren Kierkegaard. "…truth is true even if nobody believes it, and falsehood is false even if everybody believes it. That is why truth does not yield to opinion, fashion, numbers, office, or sincerity–it is simply true and that is the end of it" – Os Guinness, Time for Truth, pg.39. “He that takes truth for his guide, and duty for his end, may safely trust to God’s providence to lead him aright.” – Blaise Pascal. "There is but one straight course, and that is to seek truth and pursue it steadily" – George Washington letter to Edmund Randolph — 1795. We live in a “post-truth” world. According to the dictionary, “post-truth” means, “relating to or denoting circumstances in which objective facts are less influential in shaping public opinion than appeals to emotion and personal belief.” Simply put, we now live in a culture that seems to value experience and emotion more than truth. Truth will never go away no matter how hard one might wish. Going beyond the MSM idealogical opinion/bias and their low information tabloid reality show news with a distractional superficial focus on entertainment, sensationalism, emotionalism and activist reporting – this blogs goal is to, in some small way, put a plug in the broken dam of truth and save as many as possible from the consequences—temporal and eternal. "The further a society drifts from truth, the more it will hate those who speak it." – George Orwell “There are two ways to be fooled. One is to believe what isn’t true; the other is to refuse to believe what is true.” ― Soren Kierkegaard
Benjamin Breckinridge Warfield (November 5, 1851 February 16, 1921) was the principal of Princeton Seminary from 1887 to 1921. Some conservative Presbyterians consider him to be the last of the great Princeton theologians before the split in 1929 that formed Westminster Seminary and the Orthodox Presbyterian Church.
Warfield was born near Lexington, Kentucky on November 5, 1851. His parents were William and Mary Cabell (Breckinridge) Warfield, originally from Virginia and quite wealthy. His maternal grandfather was the Presbyterian preacher Robert Jefferson Breckinridge (1800-1871) the son of John Breckinridge a former United States Senator and Attorney General. Warfield’s uncle was John C. Breckinridge, the fourteenth Vice President of the United States and a Confederate general in the American Civil War.
For a short time in 1876 he preached in Presbyterian churches in Concord, Kentucky and Dayton, Ohio as a “supply pastor” — the latter church calling him to be their ordained minister (which he refused). In late 1876 Warfield and his new wife moved to Germany where he studied under Ernst Luthardt and Franz Delitzsch. Then he became an instructor at Western Theological Seminary, which is now called Pittsburgh Theological Seminary.
In 1881 Warfield wrote a joint article with A. A. Hodge on the inspiration of the Bible. It drew attention because of its scholarly and forceful defense of the inerrancy of the Bible. In many of his writings, Warfield attempted to demonstrate that the doctrine of Biblical inerrancy was simply orthodox Christian teaching and not merely a concept invented in the nineteenth century. His passion was to refute the liberal element within Presbyterianism and within Christianity at large.
“If such be the value and use of doctrine the systematic theologian is preeminently a preacher of the gospel; and the end of his work is obviously not merely the logical arrangement of the truths which come under his hand, but the moving of men, through their power, to love God with all their hearts and their neighbors as themselves; to choose their portion with the Savior of their souls; to find and hold Him precious; and to recognize and yield to the sweet influences of the Holy Spirit whom He has sent. . .For this he needs to be suffused at all times with a sense of the unspeakable worth of the revelation which lies before him as the source of his material and with the personal bearings of its separate truths on his own heart and life; he needs to have had and to be having a full, rich and deep religious experience of the great doctrines with which he deals; he needs to be living close to his God to be resting always on the bosom of his Redeemer, to be filled at all times with the manifest influences of the Holy Spirit. The student of systematic theology needs a very sensitive religious nature, a most thoroughly consecrated heart, and an outpouring of the Holy Ghost upon him such as will fill him with that spiritual discernment, without which all native intellect is in vain. He needs to be not merely a student, not merely a thinker, not merely a systematizer, not merely a teacher — he needs to be like the beloved disciple himself in the highest, truest and holiest sense a divine.”
One of the other software engineers at work is always finding interesting sermons and lectures to listen to. On Friday afternoon, things were a bit slow, so she messaged me a lecture featuring Dr. William Lane Craig, talking on “Who Was Jesus?” at Columbia University. I wanted to encourage her, so I put it on to listen as well. I liked it so much, I wrote out a summary below to go with it.
Here is the lecture:
Description:
Dr. William Lane Craig unpacks questions surrounding Jesus’ resurrection and the historical accuracy of the biblical claims. Columbia University, 2009.
And my outline:
Different views of Jesus:
Jewish view of Jesus
Muslim view of Jesus
skeptical historian view of Jesus
what did Jesus think about himself?
Jesus didn’t write anything of his own
best sources are the records of Jesus followers
problem: how do we know these records are accurate
maybe stories of Jesus’ divinity emerged over time
New tools from the Renaissance:
historiography
textual criticism
investigate Jesus as a historical figure
same tools are used for other historical figures
Sources:
Christian
Jewish
Roman
Many more sources than other figures of antiquity
External sources:
confirm what the gospels say, but don’t say anything new
Treating the Bible as a collection of ancient documents
not using the Bible to prove the Bible is divine
just treating the books as historical documents
New Testament
a collection of the earliest documents
much later documents about Jesus not included
later documents not written by eyewitnesses
Skeptical scholars:
ignore the earliest sources
focus on the later sources
result is a more radical left-friendly Jesus
Burden of proof
are the gospels assumed reliable until proven unreliable?
are the gospels assumed unreliable until proven reliable?
Five reasons to assume the New Testament is reliable
1. Insufficient time for legendary influences to erase the historical core
the gap between the events and the sources is much shorter than other comparable sources
Greek and Roman sources are at least 1-2 generations from the events they record
Gospels written down and circulated within first generation after the events they record
the eyewitnesses were alive at the time they were written down
2. Gospels are not the same genre as folk tales or urban legends
Gospels talk about real people who actually lived
Gospels talk about real places excavated by archaeologists
3. Oral tradition in first century Jewish society
Jewish culture valued reliable transmission of religious tradition
Memorization of long passages and entire books
4. Restraints on the embellishment of traditions about Jesus
The apostles and other eyewitnesses could correct embellishments
5. Gospel writers make testable statements that are found to be true
Luke is the author of the Gospel of Luke and the Book of Acts
In Acts, Luke accompanies with the eyewitnesses to the life of Jesus
Acts contains many historical details accurate to the times and places he writes about
Luke’s gospel is in accord with archaeological discoveries made since
It’s reasonable to accept the general reliability of the Gospels, unless they are found unreliable
Historical basis for facets of Jesus
1. Unique Son of God
historical critics claim that the divinity of Jesus developed over time
why would monotheistic Jews contradict their monotheism by inventing a divine Jesus?
the only reasonsable answer is that Jesus claimed divinity for himself
His followers accepted it because Jesus provided reasons to believe
Mark 12:1-8 Earliest gospel reveals Jesus’ self-understanding as God’s “only beloved son”
Matthew 11:27 “No one knows the Son except the Father, and no one knows the Father except the Son and those to whom the Son chooses to reveal him.” This story is also in Luke. Source is “Q”, an early set of traditions common to Matthew and Luke
Mark 13:32 Jesus sees himself as above humans and angels, but subordinate to God the Father
Why would anyone take Jesus seriously, unless he was able to provide evidence?
2. Jesus’ miracles
Jesus’ miracle stories are in all four sources
The only reason to reject them is because of a philosophical bias against the supernatural
3. Trial and crucifixion
Crucifixion narrative is in the Gospels, Paul’s letters, Acts
Also confirmed by Josephus and Roman historians
Historians across the ideological spectrum affirm the crucifixion
Why was Jesus crucified?
Doesn’t fit with the skeptical view that Jesus was uncontroversial and had few followers
4. Jesus’ resurrection
Jesus resurrection is the best explanation for historical facts accepted by diverse majority of historians
Burial location known to friends and enemies, and corpse would refute the resurrection
Tomb was found empty by a group of Jesus’ women followers
Post-mortem appearances to individuals and groups, friends, skeptics and enemies
Original disciples became convinced that Jesus rose from dead counter to their own interests
The facts are accepted by a majority of scholars across the ideological spectrum
Dr. Craig’s debate with a scholar who invented an unknown, identical twin brother who was separated from Jesus at birth
Jewish historian Pinchas Lapide affirms the resurrection of Jesus as a historical event
Then there is a period of question and answer, which I did not find useful, because the questions seemed to be more about the needs and feelings of Christians, rather than about the facts presented by Dr. Craig, or about how these facts survive in debates on university campuses. Facts don’t care about your feelings.
It never hurts to listen to William Lane Craig. If you listen enough, you can remember his points when you get the opportunity. In college, all of my friends at Crusade could do his opening speech from his debates on God’s existence from memory.
Dr. John Crotts concludes the Gospel series by addressing the essential response: repentance and faith in Jesus Christ. Learn why our works fall short, what it truly means to trust in Christ, and how this response changes everything for eternity.
Blessed are the pure in heart: for they shall see God.
MATTHEW 5:8
A spiritual kingdom lies all about us, enclosing us, embracing us, altogether within reach of our inner selves, waiting for us to recognize it. God Himself is here waiting for our response to His Presence. This eternal world will come alive to us the moment we begin to reckon upon its reality.
As we begin to focus upon God the things of the spirit will take shape before our inner eyes. Obedience to the word of Christ will bring an inward revelation of the Godhead (John 14:21–23).
This is not by any trick of the imagination. May we not safely conclude that, as the realities of Mount Sinai were apprehended by the senses, so the realities of Mount Zion are to be grasped by the soul? The soul has eyes with which to see and ears with which to hear!
Such an inward revelation of the Godhead will give acute perception enabling us to see God even as is promised to the pure in heart. A new God-consciousness will seize upon us and we shall begin to taste and hear and inwardly feel the God who is our life and our all.
There will be seen the constant shining of the light that lighteth every man that cometh into the world. More and more, as our faculties grow sharper and more sure, God will become to us the great All, and His Presence the glory and wonder of our lives! This is what will make heaven more real to us than any earthly thing has ever been.1
Yes, Lord, thou dost not abdicate thy throne when the sun goeth down, nor dost thou leave the world all through these long wintry nights to be the prey of evil; thine eyes watch us as the stars, and thine arms surround us as the zodiac belts the sky. The dews of kindly sleep and all the influences of the moon are in thy hand, and the alarms and solemnities of night are equally with thee. This is very sweet to me when watching through the midnight hours, or tossing to and fro in anguish. There are precious fruits put forth by the moon as well as by the sun: may my Lord make me to be a favoured partaker in them.
The night of affliction is as much under the arrangement and control of the Lord of Love as the bright summer days when all is bliss. Jesus is in the tempest. His love wraps the night about itself as a mantle, but to the eye of faith the sable robe is scarce a disguise. From the first watch of the night even unto the break of day the eternal Watcher observes his saints, and overrules the shades and dews of midnight for his people’s highest good. We believe in no rival deities of good and evil contending for the mastery, but we hear the voice of Jehovah saying, “I create light and I create darkness; I, the Lord, do all these things.”
Gloomy seasons of religious indifference and social sin are not exempted from the divine purpose. When the altars of truth are defiled, and the ways of God forsaken, the Lord’s servants weep with bitter sorrow, but they may not despair, for the darkest eras are governed by the Lord, and shall come to their end at his bidding. What may seem defeat to us may be victory to him.
WHOSOEVER believeth that Jesus is the Christ is born of God: and every one that loveth him that begat loveth him also that is begotten of him. (Dost thou believe in Jesus? Dost thou love thy Lord? Then thou art born again.)
2, 3 By this we know that we love the children of God, when we love God, and keep his commandments. For this is the love of God, that we keep his commandments: and his commandments are not grievous. (Obedience proves the truth of faith, especially obedience to the command which bids us love. It is idle to talk of being saved if we are not living unto God.)
4, 5 For whatsoever is born of God overcometh the world: and this is the victory that overcometh the world, even our faith. Who is he that overcometh the world, but he that believeth that Jesus is the Son of God?
Faith, then, is the sure evidence of the new birth, and if we believe in the Lord Jesus we are born again, and shall overcome the world.
6 This is he that came by water and blood, even Jesus Christ; not by water only, but by water and blood. (Cleansing from the power of sin, and delivering from its guilt.) And it is the Spirit that beareth witness, because the Spirit is truth.
7, 8 For there are three that bear record in heaven, the Father, the Word, and the Holy Ghost: and these three are one. And there are three that bear witness in earth, the spirit, and the water, and the blood: and these three agree in one. (Instead of all other heavenly signs, the church has for her standing miracles the energetic work of the Holy Ghost, the purifying influence of the gospel, and the peace-giving energy of the atonement. If there be no power of the Holy Ghost, no sanctification, and no pardon of sin, our religion is a delusion; but if these be facts, and they certainly are, our faith has solid, grounds.)
9 If we receive the witness of men, the witness of God is greater: for this is the witness of God which he hath testified of his Son.
10, 11 He that believeth on the Son of God hath the witness in himself: he that believeth not God hath made him a liar; because he believeth not the record that God gave of his Son. And this is the record, that God hath given to us eternal life, and this life is in his Son.
12 He that hath the Son hath life; and he that hath not the Son of God hath not life.
13 These things have I written unto you that believe on the name of the Son of God; that ye may know that ye have eternal life, and that ye may believe on the name of the Son of God.
You do believe, but you may believe yet more. “Lord, increase our faith,” is no needless prayer.
14, 15 And this is the confidence that we have in him, that, if we ask any thing according to his will, he heareth us: And if we know that he hear us, whatsoever we ask, we know that we have the petitions that we desired of him.
Answers to prayer are a powerful establishment of faith. The God who has an ear for our prayers is no fiction.
16–18 If any man see his brother sin a sin which is not unto death, he shall ask, and he shall give him life for them that sin not unto death. There is a sin unto death: I do not say that he shall pray for it. All unrighteousness is sin: and there is a sin not unto death. We know that whosoever is born of God sinneth not; but he that is begotten of God keepeth himself, and that wicked one toucheth him not. (Whatever the unpardonable sin may be, the child of God shall be kept from it. We need not curiously inquire what that dark crime may be; it will be better to follow our Lord, and we shall be preserved from it.)
19 And we know that we are of God, and the whole world lieth in wickedness.
20 And we know that the Son of God is come, and hath given us an understanding, that we may know him that is true, and we are in him that is true, even in his Son Jesus Christ. This is the true God, and eternal life.
21 Little children, keep yourselves from idols. Amen.
On this day that many spend meditating on the coming of the Messiah – we’ll see an important truth about His Second Coming!
Zechariah 6:1 — Sometimes in Zechariah we notice similar motifs in Revelation, but they have different meanings. In Zechariah, the horses were designated for directions, while in Revelation 6:1-8, they are seen visualizing consequences (conquest, war, famine, death).
Zechariah 6:12 — Jimmy DeYoung sees this passage as talking about the Millennium:
Messiah’s Temple is the “House of Worship” that will stand in Jerusalem in the Kingdom, a physical Kingdom yet to come, in the 1,000 year period following the return of Jesus Christ back to earth. Verse 12 reveals that Jesus Christ, the “Branch”, is the one who will build this Millennial Temple.
The “Branch” is the name for Jesus in the Old Testament, which can be found in Isaiah 4:2, Jeremiah 33:15, Zechariah 3:8 and here in our key verse for our devotional reading today, verse 12.
The key to this passage is noticing that the Branch will have a throne, will be a priest, and will be peace (Zechariah 6:13). A throne means a civil ruler like Zerubbabel (in Zechariah’s day), a type of David. A king was forbidden from being a priest (StackExchange.com notes the priesthood was restricted to Levi, while the kingship was restricted to Judah). Uzziah as king attempted to offer a sacrifice (2 Chronicles 26:16), and was cursed with leprosy (2 Chronicles 26:19-21).
Zechariah 7:10 — Why is God concerned about the widow, fatherless, stranger, and the poor? God commands protection of the widow and fatherless (Exodus 22:22), states that He executes judgment for the fatherless and widow (Deuteronomy 10:18), and curses those who pervert the judgment of the stranger, fatherless, and widow (Deuteronomy 27:19). God is a “father of the fatherless, and a judge of the widows” (Psalm 68:5). “He relieveth the fatherless and widow” (Psalm 146:9).
The widow, fatherless, stranger, and poor are often taken advantage of, especially by those who use “false balances” (Proverbs 11:1). God demonstrates His power not by helping the rich get richer but by making the weak strong (2 Corinthians 12:10).
Zechariah 7:12 — As we read in Hebrews 3:8, “Harden not your hearts!”
Revelation 15:3-4 — Patch the Pirate’s song “Great and Marvelous” is based on these verses!
Revelation 15:7-8 — God’s wrath is tied to God’s glory.
Psalm 143:10 — We need God to teach us to do His will! Let’s pray for God’s instruction!
Proverbs 30:25 — Solomon talked about the ant back in Proverbs 6:6 as a wise creature. What’s the lesson from these four creatures?
Are you as smart as a coney? Wise Agur used four small creatures to teach his students great wisdom (Pr 30:1,24). The ants prudently save for the future (Pr 30:25). The locusts know the power of numbers (Pr 30:27). The spider by diligence goes where most cannot (Pr 30:28). The conies wisely avoid risk and loss by choosing safe and strong protection.
Ye shall be named the priests of the Lord.Isaiah 61:6
This literal promise to Israel belongs spiritually to the seed after the Spirit, namely, to all believers. If we live up to our privileges, we shall live unto God so clearly and distinctly that men shall see that we are set apart for holy service and shall name us the priests of the Lord. We may work or trade as others do, and yet we may be solely and wholly the ministering servants of God. Our one occupation shall be to present the perpetual sacrifice of prayer, and praise, and testimony, and self-consecration to the living God by Jesus Christ.
This being our one aim, we may leave distracting concerns to those who have no higher calling. “Let the dead bury their dead.” It is written, “Strangers shall stand and feed your flocks, and the sons of the alien shall be your plowmen and your vine-dressers,” They may manage politics, puzzle out financial problems, discuss science, and settle the last new quibbles of criticism; but we will give ourselves unto such service as becomes those who, like the Lord Jesus, are ordained to a perpetual priesthood.
Accepting this honorable promise as involving a sacred duty, let us put on the vestments of holiness and minister before the Lord all day long.
Description:What did Jesus mean when He told the disciples that some of them would not die until they saw the kingdom of God coming in power? As he continues his exposition of the gospel of Mark, R.C. Sproul wrestles with this challenging prediction.
The evidence for God from design (and genetic information) is incredibly compelling. How can this evidence help others to consider the existence of God?
To see more training videos with J. Warner Wallace, visit the YouTube playlist.
Entire libraries exist packed with volumes discussing the greatest turning point of human history: God coming in the flesh two millennia ago. The Incarnation of Jesus Christ changed everything. The message of Christmas needs to always be heralded and celebrated far and wide. Here then are 40 terrific and powerful quotes by 22 different Christians:
Athanasius
“The gaping chasm between God and human beings — which human reason has perceived and before which it has trembled — has been bridged by this infant’s merest yawn.”
Augustine
“He so loved us that for our sake He was made man in time, through Whom all times were made; was in the world less in years than His servants, though older than the world itself in His eternity; was made man, Who made man; was created of a mother, whom He created; was carried by hands which He formed; nursed at the breasts which He had filled; cried in the manger in wordless infancy, He the Word without Whom all human eloquence is mute.”
“Maker of the sun, He is made under the sun. In the Father He remains, from His mother He goes forth. Creator of heaven and earth, He was born on earth under heaven. Unspeakably wise, He is wisely speechless. Filling the world, He lies in a manger. Ruler of the stars, He nurses at His mother’s bosom. He is both great in the nature of God, and small in the form of a servant.”
“He lies in a manger, but contains the world. He feeds at the breast, but also feeds the angels. He is wrapped in swaddling clothes, but vests us with immortality. He found no place in the inn, but makes for Himself a temple in the hearts of believers. In order that weakness might become strong, strength became weak.”
Frederick Buechner
“It is impossible to conceive how different things would have turned out if that birth had not happened whenever, wherever, however it did … for millions of people who have lived since, the birth of Jesus made possible not just a new way of understanding life but a new way of living it. It is a truth that, for twenty centuries, there have been untold numbers of men and women who, in untold numbers of ways, have been so grasped by the child who was born, so caught up in the message he taught and the life he lived, that they have found themselves profoundly changed by their relationship with him.”
G. K.Chesterton
“Christmas is built upon a beautiful and intentional paradox; that the birth of the homeless should be celebrated in every home.”
“The great majority of people will go on observing forms that cannot be explained; they will keep Christmas Day with Christmas gifts and Christmas benedictions; they will continue to do it; and some day suddenly wake up and discover why.”
“The exciting quality of Christmas rests on an ancient and admitted paradox. It rests upon the paradox that the power and center of the whole universe may be found in some seemingly small matter, that the stars in their courses may move like a moving wheel around the neglected outhouse of an inn.”
“The more we are proud that the Bethlehem story is plain enough to be understood by the shepherds, and almost by the sheep, the more do we let ourselves go, in dark and gorgeous imaginative frescoes or pageants about the mystery and majesty of the Three Magian Kings.”
“It may seem a gloomy sentiment for the festive season; but the plain truth is that the old original Christians would have more reasons to quarrel with the new Christian Christmas than they had to quarrel with the old Pagan Christmas. In the congested commerce of our time, it has come to stand rather for goods being sold than for gifts being given.”
“When we were children, we were grateful to those who filled our stockings at Christmas time. Why are we not grateful to God for filling our stockings with legs?”
Rev. BillyGraham
“The very purpose of Christ’s coming into the world was that he might offer up his life as a sacrifice for the sins of men. He came to die. This is the heart of Christmas.”
“On that first Christmas over 2,000 years ago, God did something that we can barely grasp: He became a man. Think of it: The God who created the universe stooped down from Heaven and became a human being!”
Vance Havner
“Christmas is based on an exchange of gifts, the gift of God to man – His unspeakable gift of His Son, and the gift of man to God – when we present our bodies a living sacrifice.”
David Jeremiah
“All the Christmas presents in the world are worth nothing without the presence of Christ.”
Timothy Keller
“[Christmas] means not just hope for the world, despite all its unending problems, but hope for you and me, despite all our unending failings.”
C. S. Lewis
“Once in our world, a stable had something in it that was bigger than our whole world.”
“In the Christian story God descends to re-ascend. He comes down; down from the heights of absolute being into time and space, down into humanity … down to the very roots and sea-bed of the Nature He has created. But He goes down to come up again and bring the ruined world up with Him. One has the picture of a strong man stooping lower and lower to get himself underneath some great complicated burden. He must stoop in order to lift, he must almost disappear under the load before he incredibly straightens his back and marches off with the whole mass swaying on his shoulders.”
“The central miracle asserted by Christians is the Incarnation. . . . If the thing happened, it was the central event in the history of the earth.”
Martin Luther
“What the globe could not enwrap, Nestled lies in Mary’s lap. Just a baby, very wee, Yet Lord of all the world is he.”
John MacArthur
“There is no connection between the worship of idols and the use of Christmas trees. We should not be anxious about baseless arguments against Christmas decorations. Rather, we should be focused on the Christ of Christmas and giving all diligence to remembering the real reason for the season.”
George MacDonald
“They were all looking for a king To slay their foes, and lift them high; Thou cam’st, a little baby thing That made a woman cry.”
“If the story were not true nothing else would be worth being true. Because it is true, everything is lovely-precious.”
J. I. Packer
“The Almighty appeared on earth as a helpless human baby, needing to be fed and changed and taught to talk like any other child. The more you think about it, the more staggering it gets. Nothing in fiction is so fantastic as this truth of the Incarnation.”
“The Christmas message is that there is hope for a ruined humanity—hope of pardon, hope of peace with God, hope of glory—because at the Father’s will Jesus became poor, and was born in a stable so that thirty years later He might hang on a cross.”
John Piper
“Look to Jesus this Christmas. Receive the reconciliation that he bought. Don’t put it on the shelf unopened. And don’t open it and then make it a means to all your other pleasures. Open it and enjoy the gift. Rejoice in him. Make him your pleasure. Make him your treasure.”
Ronald Reagan
“Christmas can be celebrated in the school room with pine trees, tinsel and reindeers, but there must be no mention of the man whose birthday is being celebrated. One wonders how a teacher would answer if a student asked why it was called Christmas.”
John R. Rice
“You can never truly enjoy Christmas until you can look up into the Father’s face and tell him you have received his Christmas gift.”
Fulton J. Sheen
“The simple shepherds heard the voice of an angel and found their lamb; the wise men saw the light of a star and found their wisdom.”
R. C.Sproul
“I say ‘Merry Christmas’ to everybody. If I see a Muslim, I say, ‘Merry Christmas.’ I hope he has a lousy Ramadan, because I know that Ramadan is an affront to the holiness of God, and I know the only way that a Muslim is going to have a merry Christmas is if he is converted to Christ. There is nothing like Christmas for the Christian, and it is my hope that every person will be able to share in that true joy.”
“What we celebrate at Christmas is not so much the birth of a baby, but the incarnation of God Himself.”
Charles Spurgeon
“The greatest and most momentous fact which the history of the world records is the fact of Christ’s birth.”
“Though creation may be a majestic organ of praise, it cannot reach the compass of the golden canticle—Incarnation! There is more in that than in creation, more melody in Jesus in the manger, than there is in worlds on worlds rolling their grandeur round the throne of the Most High.”
“It is a miracle of miracles that the Infinite should become an infant.”
“Infinite, and an infant. Eternal, and yet born of a woman. Almighty, and yet hanging on a woman’s breast. Supporting a universe, and yet needing to be carried in a mother’s arms. King of angels, and yet the reputed son of Joseph. Heir of all things, and yet the carpenter’s despised son. Oh, the wonder of Christmas.”
“The birth of Jesus is the grandest light of history.”
Corrie Ten Boom
“Who can add to Christmas? The perfect motive is that God so loved the world. The perfect gift is that He gave His only Son. The only requirement is to believe in Him. The reward of faith is that you shall have everlasting life.”
A. W. Tozer
“It does seem strange that so many persons become excited about Christmas and so few stop to inquire into its meaning; but I suppose this odd phenomenon is quite in harmony with our unfortunate human habit of magnifying trivialities and ignoring matters of greatest import. The same man who will check his tyres and consult his road map with utmost care before starting on a journey may travel for a lifetime on the way that knows no return and never once pause to ask whether or not he is headed in the right direction.”
Ann Voskamp
“So God throws open the door of this world—and enters as a baby. As the most vulnerable imaginable. Because He wants unimaginable intimacy with you. What religion ever had a god that wanted such intimacy with us that He came with such vulnerability to us? What God ever came so tender we could touch Him? So fragile that we could break Him? So vulnerable that His bare, beating heart could be hurt? Only the One who loves you to death.”
“He who carved the edges of the cosmos curved Himself into a fetal ball in the dark, tethered Himself to the uterine wall of a virgin, and lets His cells divide, light splitting all white. He gave up the heavens that were not even large enough to contain Him and lets Himself be held in a hand. The mystery so large becomes the Baby so small, and infinite God becomes infant.”
And in the same region there were shepherds out in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night. 9 And an angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were filled with great fear. 10 And the angel said to them, “Fear not, for behold, I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. 11 For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord.12 And this will be a sign for you: you will find a baby wrapped in swaddling cloths and lying in a manger.”13 And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying,
14 “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace among those with whom he is pleased!”
15 When the angels went away from them into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, “Let us go over to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has made known to us.” 16 And they went with haste and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby lying in a manger. 17 And when they saw it, they made known the saying that had been told them concerning this child. 18 And all who heard it wondered at what the shepherds told them. 19 But Mary treasured up all these things, pondering them in her heart. 20 And the shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all they had heard and seen, as it had been told them.Luke 2:8-20
The Christmas story just wouldn’t be the same without the shepherds, would it? Just a bunch of blue collar guys out doing their jobs one night, when God stepped in and gave them a story they’d be telling for the rest of their lives. We don’t know their names or how many of them there were, but they’re more than just pieces of our nativity sets. They’re a picture of the gospel.
Just a bunch of blue collar guys out doing their jobs one night, when God stepped in and gave them a story they’d be telling for the rest of their lives.Tweet
Called Out of Darkness Into Light
The shepherds had no idea God would reveal His Son to them that night. They were just going about their lives, day in and day out, oblivious, until God intervened and brought them the good news of Christ. In a similar way, the Bible says that we walk through life day after day, dead in our trespasses and sins, until that glorious moment when God draws us to Himself, opens our eyes to the gospel, and makes us alive in Christ.
The Clean for the Unclean
The nature of the job put shepherds frequently in contact with the remains of dead animals and insects, rendering them often, if not nearly perpetually, ceremonially unclean according to Mosaic law. While unclean, they were separated from fellowship with God. They were not allowed to enter the temple to worship until they had offered a lamb to atone for their sin. And God chose these unclean men – guilty under the law – to be the first to meet His perfectly clean and spotless Lamb who would offer Himself to make the final atoning sacrifice for their sin, and ours. Through Christ, we are no longer separated from God by our sin and guilt.
God chose these unclean men – guilty under the law – to be the first to meet His perfectly clean and spotless Lamb who would offer Himself to make the final atoning sacrifice for their sin, and ours.Tweet
Given, Not Earned
Because the shepherds had no way of knowing Christ would suddenly be revealed to them, there was nothing they could do to prepare for His coming or make themselves worthy of Him. God met them right where they were – dirty, smelly, and lower class – and brought them to Christ. Not because they were good people or had earned this honor with commendable deeds, but for God’s own reasons and His own glory.
The angel knew God personally and faithfully declared His word to the shepherds for God’s glory. Those of us who know Christ must faithfully proclaim the gospel, from the Word of God, to others. Proclaiming the good news of Christ brings glory to God.
Hear, Believe, Respond
When the shepherds heard the message of Christ, they immediately believed it and responded by coming to Him. In the same way, when we hear the good news of the gospel, Christ calls us to repent of our sin, believe unto salvation, and follow Him.
Do Tell
Once the shepherds had met Christ face to face, they couldn’t keep it to themselves. With great joy, they went out and told others about Him. Some must have believed them. Others, perhaps not. But the news they spread made an impact on everyone who heard it. If only we would share the good news of Christ far and wide as the shepherds did! Some will believe. Some won’t. But God’s word always impacts people and accomplishes His purposes.
Once the shepherds had met Christ face to face, they couldn’t keep it to themselves. With great joy, they went out and told others about Him.Tweet
O Worship the King
How could the shepherds help but worship, praising and glorifying God, for all they had seen and heard and all God had done for them? And how can we, after all we have seen and heard from God’s Word, and all He has done for us, help but worship, praise, and glorify our King?
Just a crew of rag tag shepherds tending the sheep that would be sacrificed in the temple. But not for long. A new Shepherd had been born. The Good Shepherd who lays down His life for His sheep. The Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world.
The Old Testament contains a great many messianic prophecies. Jesus fulfilled forty-eight specific predictions during His first visit to the earth. A much greater number of biblical texts refer to the end times, Jesus’ appearing, the seven-year Tribulation, Christ’s Second Coming, and eternity.
The fulfillment of Messianic prophecies began with Gabriel’s visit to Mary to announce the birth of Jesus (Luke 1:28-38). Along with explaining her supernatural virgin birth, the angel referred her to Isaiah’s prophecy concerning the Messiah’s birth as a “child” (Isaiah 9:6-7). His message to the mother of Jesus included the promised millennial reign of her Son: “And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus. He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. And the Lord God will give to him the throne of his father David, and he will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of his kingdom there will be no end” (Luke 1:31-33).
The Isaiah 9 Prophecy
Why did Gabriel incorporate Isaiah’s prophecy into the announcement of Jesus’ birth? First, it reminded Mary that the Messiah would enter the world as a baby. Mary’s response reveals her previous knowledge of the prophet’s words as she expressed her understanding of the great favor bestowed upon her to be the mother of the promised Messiah (Luke 1:38, 46-55). She was likely one of many young women in Israel hoping that they would give birth to the Christ.
Additionally, the angel’s message confirmed the hope of her day, namely that the Promised One of Israel, her Son, would someday sit on “the throne of his father David” and rule over His people. His words brought to mind all the words of this cherished prophetic text: “For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace.Of the increase of his government and peace there shall be no end, upon the throne of David, and upon his kingdom, to order it, and to establish it with judgment and with justice from henceforth even for ever. The zeal of the Lord of hosts will perform this” (Isaiah 9:6-7, KJV).
Though many in Israel at this time looked for the Messiah to immediately deliver them from the Roman oppression, that doesn’t negate the Lord’s promise. Just as Jesus fulfilled Isaiah’s words by entering the world as a baby, in the same way, He will literally fulfill the prophet’s words concerning His future rule over a restored kingdom of Israel.
Did the Jewish Rejection of Jesus Invalidate Isaiah’s Prophecy?
Many pastors and Christian leaders today teach that Israel’s rejection of their Messiah invalidated God’s promise of a glorious kingdom for Israel. They say the church has inherited these promises, albeit spiritually. Proponents of this unbiblical teaching believe that Jesus began ruling over the nations at His ascension back to Heaven.
Gabriel’s announcement to Mary refutes today’s Replacement Theology, which asserts that God rejected Israel after it spurned His Son and replaced the nation with the church. More than that, the angel’s words fully substantiate the Premillennial beliefs that Jesus will sit on the “throne of David” after the Second Coming. Why do I make such a claim?
First, consider how Mary would have understood Gabriel’s words. They would’ve conveyed the idea of a physical kingdom with her Son ruling over the nation of Israel. The idea of a spiritual realm would never have entered her mind.
The angel’s quote of the promise that the Messiah would sit upon “the throne of his father David” would also have conveyed the image of a literal fulfillment of the Isaiah 9:6-7 prophecy. Why would God fill Mary with such hope unless it truly depicted Jesus’ future rule? He already knew about Israel’s rejection of their Messiah and crucifixion, yet the repeating of the promises from the Isaiah text points to their fulfillment regardless of the actions of the first-century AD Jews.
Second, Gabriel specified that Jesus would rule over the “house of Jacob.” This points to the realization of Ezekiel 37:15-28, which foretells the joining of Judah with the northern tribes of Israel under the kingship of David. These words signaled the joyous joining of the nation into one kingdom, which Mary also would’ve understood as a future fulfillment of the Lord’s promises to her people.
Third, the New Testament never places Jesus on the “throne of David” at the current time or in its description of His headship over His Church. It instead places Him at “the right hand of God,” as we see in Colossians 3:1: “If then you have been raised with Christ, seek the things that are above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God.”
Jesus is the “head of the church,” as the Apostle Paul stated in Ephesians (1:22, 4:15; 5:23) and Colossians (1:18; 2:19). His promised rule over all the nations is far different than his current place as the “head of His body, the church.” Of course, He’s sovereign over the affairs of humanity, but that’s far different than saying He is now ruling over the “house of Jacob” seated on the “throne of his father David.”
Just as Gabriel spoke on behalf of the Lord concerning the Savior’s birth, so he also predicted His future reign over a united Israel. How can one say that the first happened exactly as Isaiah prophesied while the other denotes a spiritual reality? To make such a claim implies that He misled Mary, who surely would’ve viewed both the Messiah’s birth and future rule over Israel as tangible outcomes of the Lord’s original promise to Isaiah (9:6-7).
You can’t force someone to stay religious The initial excuse given by the ultra-Orthodox, to be exempted from army service, was due to their religious studies, precluding them from taking part in the defense of the country. Now, the truth is out. The real reason is the fear that some will become secular, per former chief Rabbi Yitzhak Yosef.
Poland confirms Netanyahu will be arrested if he attends Auschwitz Memorial in January Poland’s Deputy Foreign Minister Wladyslaw Bartoszewski confirmed on Friday that the country will arrest Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu if he attends the 80th-anniversary memorial of the liberation of the Auschwitz concentration camp on Jan. 27. This is due to an arrest warrant issued by the International Criminal Court (ICC), accusing him of alleged war crimes in the Gaza Strip.
Pope Condemns IDF: “This is Cruelty, Not War” Pope Francis condemned Israeli airstrikes against Hamas in his annual Christmas address to the Roman Curia, the Catholic cardinals who lead the Vatican’s various departments, on Saturday.
New Syrian government forbids Iranian planes in its airspace Security sources say this a decisive declaration of Syria’s repudiation of the ‘Axis of Evil’ headed by Iran The new regime in Syria under Abu Muhammad al-Julani has declared that it will not permit Iranian planes to enter its airspace, … the ban extended to all Iranian aircraft.
Kurds to Netanyahu and Trump: The clock is ticking Today, a senior Kurdish policy adviser, speaking directly to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and U.S. President-elect Donald Trump, warns: The clock is ticking. The recent upheaval in Syria, marked by the ousting of President Bashar al-Assad and the subsequent power vacuum, has intensified the challenges faced by the Kurdish population. With various factions vying for control and Turkey escalating its aggression, urgent action is needed to prevent further chaos and ensure regional stability.
Hamas admits IDF neutralized most of its military capabilities IDF Arabic spokesman says the “East Jabalia Battalion has collapsed,” adding that any claims otherwise are false boasts by Hamas. Hamas officials admitted to Saudi newspaper A-Sharq Al-Awsat that the IDF has neutralized most of its military capabilities and that absent concrete leadership, groups of terrorists are making their own decisions on the ground.
Mossad chief: Go after Iran directly, not the Houthis Mossad chief David Barnea reccomended in conversations with the political echelon that Israel strike Iran in response to recent ballistic missile attacks by the Houthis in Yemen rather than strike back at the Houthis. Barnea said that Israel should “go after the head” rather than the arms.
Ukraine: ‘We are the new Mossad’ Ukrainian intelligence services are using tactics made famous by Israel to target Russian leadership as the war between the two countries wears on. Where conventional military engagements have not managed to turn the tide, Ukraine is learning from Israel’s lengthy history of assassinations to try and undermine the Russian military.
Britain considering lowering voting age to 16 Powell clarified that there is no intention to make such changes: “We’ve no immediate plans to do that, but we do have a manifesto commitment to look more broadly at our elections regime in this country.” In the Labour Party’s manifesto for the elections held last May, it stated that the party would lower the voting age to 16 or 17.
Welcome to ‘Paddystine’ The other day, during a discussion with a colleague about the wave of pro-Hamas, antisemitic hysteria sweeping the Republic of Ireland, I unthinkingly quipped that the people of Eire should rename themselves “Paddystinians.”
Netanyahu appeals for patience as IDF prepares to hit Houthis hard “We will take forceful, determined and sophisticated action,” the prime minister vowed after a Houthi ballistic missile evaded the Israel Defense Forces’ aerial defense systems and hit a playground in Tel Aviv’s Jaffa quarter overnight Friday, lightly wounding 16 people. “Even if it takes time, the result will be the same—as it has been with the other terrorist arms,”
Taliban purge academics, reshape Afghan education with ‘extremist agenda’ The Taliban appear to be engaging in a systematic approach to seek ideological revenge and promote the ‘Talibanization’ of universities in Afghanistan, purging opposition, eroding academic freedom and forcing a brain drain
A Failure Of Biblical Proportions: Billions Of Iranian Dollars Have Gone Up In Smoke We all just witnessed the fall of the Assad regime in Syria. In less than two weeks, over $30 billion spent by Iran to prop up Assad and gain strongholds in Syria to use as a means to destroy Israel has literally gone up in smoke. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu highlighted this fact in a recent message addressed to the Iranian people:
Death toll in German Christmas market attack reaches-5-with-at-least-200-wounded/ Germans on Saturday mourned both the victims and their shaken sense of security after a Saudi doctor intentionally drove into a Christmas market teeming with holiday shoppers, killing at least five people, including a small child, and injuring at least 200 others.
50-foot waves forecast to slam Hawaii as ‘The Eddie’ surfing competition braces for ‘biggest swells ever’ A parade of storm-force to even hurricane-force windstorms is rolling across the Pacific Ocean over the next several days. And while their storm tracks are safely around 1,300 miles north of Hawaii and sparing the islands any direct storm impacts, their deep low-pressure centers and ferocious winds are generating massive waves that fan out across the ocean basin.
11 Signs That The Slow-Motion Collapse Of The U.S. Economy Is Far More Advanced Than Most People Think The fact that economic conditions are getting worse is certainly not good news, but it is better to know in advance what is coming. After four years under Joe Biden, the U.S. economy is a giant mess. We have been witnessing a slow-motion collapse right in front of our eyes, and those at the bottom levels of the economic food chain have been experiencing more pain than anyone else. Of course this is one of the biggest reasons why Donald Trump won the election. Large numbers of poor and working class Americans are desperate for change. Unfortunately, economic conditions have continued to deteriorate since early November. The following are 11 signs that the slow-motion collapse of the U.S. economy is far more advanced than most people think…
Report Netanyahu to Skip Holocaust Memorial in Poland Due to ICC Warrant Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will reportedly not attend the 80th anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz on International Holocaust Remembrance Day next month because of fear that Poland will honor a warrant to arrest him.
Is The Revival Of The End Times Starting To Erupt Right In Front Of Our Eyes/ It appears that something incredible is beginning to happen. Even in the midst of all of the chaos and turmoil that we are witnessing in our society right now, God is on the move. Large numbers of young people have been giving their lives to Jesus and getting baptized on college campuses all over the country, and Bible sales are way up in 2024. In fact, it is being reported that through the month of October Bible sales in the U.S. were 22 percent higher than last year.
“May the father of all mercies scatter light, and not darkness, upon our paths, and make us in all our several vocations useful here, and in His own due time and way everlastingly happy.” —George Washington (1790)
Publisher’s Note
At the end of each year, I ask my editors and staff to take leave between Christmas and New Year’s Day to be with their families. I want each team member to step back from the rigors of relentless daily deadlines so that they can begin January with a fresh perspective.
As always, I’ll remain on the wall with our Managing Editor, Nate, watching for any mischief from the adversaries of Liberty. Our News Editor, Jordan, will update our Right Opinion page daily, and our regular editions will return on January 2nd.
Douglas Andrews, Thomas Gallatin, & Jordan Candler
Government & Politics
Trump revives manifest destiny: “We’re being ripped off at the Panama Canal like we’re being ripped off everywhere else,” Trump said on Sunday, adding, “We will never, never let it fall into the wrong hands.” That comment prompted Panamanian President Jose Raul Mulino to respond, “Every square meter of the Panama Canal and its adjacent area belongs to Panama and will continue to be so. The sovereignty and independence of our country aren’t negotiable.” To which Trump replied, “We’ll see about that!” The president-elect is right to be concerned about China’s growing and aggressive efforts to exert control over global trade. Beijing has spread its influence, replacing U.S. trade dominance in seven of the 11 nations that have maintained relationships with Taiwan. Panama happens to be one of those nations. Meanwhile, Trump is again floating the idea of the U.S. purchasing Greenland. “For purposes of National Security and Freedom throughout the World, the United States of America feels that the ownership and control of Greenland is an absolute necessity,” he stated. To which Greenland’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs dismissively answered, “We’re open for business, not for sale.”
Dems bailing on the party: The Democrat Party is the party of extremists, and several prominent politicos have left the party as a result. “I am not a Democrat in the form of what the Democratic Party has turned itself into,” said Senator Joe Manchin. “The brand got so bad. … It’s toxic.” Regarding the Democrats’ support of transgenderism, Manchin noted that they “have tried to mainstream the extreme.” Meanwhile, Lindy Li, a big-time DNC fundraiser, announced she had left the party over the weekend, citing the abuse she received for observing that “Democrats have a stench of loser hanging over them.” Li criticized Democrats for “indulging in delusions” by asserting that Harris was a viable future candidate. She added, “Leaving the Democratic Party or even questioning the Democratic Party is like leaving a cult. It’s terrifying. I don’t want to be a part of this craziness anymore.” Finally, Senator John Fetterman (D-PA), who isn’t going anywhere — yet — concluded that Democrats labeling Trump a “fascist” didn’t connect with the American people.
MIA congresswoman found in memory care: We’ve spilled untold digital ink on the profound cognitive decline of Joe Biden, but it appears that the Beltway’s Republican delegation has been ignoring the cognitive incapacity of one of its own House members. Texas Congresswoman Kay Granger, 81, has apparently been living in a retirement facility, perhaps receiving memory care. “Granger, who is retiring at the end of this congressional term, has largely remained absent from the Capitol in recent months, having last cast votes on July 24,” reports Fox News. “She was not present for over 54% of votes this year.” In response, Granger’s office issued the following statement: “As many of my family, friends, and colleagues have known, I have been navigating some unforeseen health challenges over the past year. However, since early September, my health challenges have progressed making frequent travel to Washington both difficult and unpredictable. During this time, my incredible staff has remained steadfast, continuing to deliver exceptional constituent services, as they have for the past 27 years.” We wish her well, but that’s no way to represent the people.
House Ethics Committee releases Gaetz report: “The Committee determined there is substantial evidence that Representative [Matt] Gaetz violated House Rules and other standards of conduct prohibiting prostitution, statutory rape, illicit drug use, impermissible gifts, special favors or privileges, and obstruction of Congress,” said the report from the House Ethics Committee. “From 2017 to 2020, Representative Gaetz made tens of thousands of dollars in payments to women that the Committee determined were likely in connection with sexual activity and/or drug use.” Gaetz allegedly used illegal drugs, including cocaine and ecstasy, while paying for sex with multiple women, among them a 17-year-old high school junior with whom he had sex in front of witnesses. He did not, however, engage in sex trafficking, as the women with whom he had relations traveled with him of their own free will. The committee also accused Gaetz of obstructing its investigation. Gaetz has admitted to wild behavior, but he has denied any criminal acts. Donald Trump’s choice of Gaetz to serve as attorney general was an unforced error that quickly led to Gaetz’s abrupt exit amid controversy over this report.
Biden admin overestimated employment by 3M before the election: The Federal Reserve Bank of Philadelphia, which has a reputation for doing highly accurate employment statistics, has found that the Biden administration’s employment number estimates for the second quarter of 2024 were off by three million jobs across the 50 states. The Philly Fed estimates for 2023 differ from the national statistics by just 0.1%, as opposed to the Biden administration’s Bureau of Labor Statistics, which were off by anywhere from 1.2% to 1.9% in overestimating total employment numbers. Even more indicative of a juicing of the numbers is that the BLS wasn’t always off with its employment estimates; it just so happened to be way off before the 2022 midterms and the 2024 election.
Biden commutes death sentences of child killers and mass murderers two days before Christmas (NY Post)
Biden administration withdraws proposal to cancel student debt for millions of Americans (Just the News)
Dems refused to pass kids cancer research bill until they could use it to push 1,500 pages of pork (The Federalist)
Lara Trump withdraws her name from consideration for Florida Senate seat (Daily Caller)
Security
Illegal burns woman to death on NYC subway: On Sunday morning, an illegal alien became the latest poster villain for border security. “The Guatemalan migrant accused of setting a sleeping F train passenger on fire and then watching as she burned to death sneaked into the country illegally after being deported,” reports the New York Post. NYPD Commissioner Jessica Tisch tried to describe the depravity: “As the train pulled into the station, the suspect calmly walked up to the victim, who was in a seated position at the end of a subway car … and used what we believe to be a lighter to ignite the victim’s clothing, which became fully engulfed in a matter of seconds.” And to think Alvin Bragg tried to put Daniel Penny away for 15 years. In what is surely one of history’s worst-timed social media posts, New York Governor Kathy Hochul yesterday released a video of herself smiling and riding the subway along with the following message: “In March, I took action to make our subways safer for the millions of people who take the trains each day.”
Deportations fell 41% under Biden: An estimated eight million illegal aliens entered the U.S. during Joe Biden’s single term, and of those, just over half a million (545,252) have been deported. That deportation total is down 41% from Donald Trump’s first term, when over 935,000 illegal aliens were deported. To add insult to injury, the number of migrants illegally entering the country under Biden roughly doubled. I.e., deportations fell significantly even as the number of illegals entering spiked. Is it any wonder the majority of Americans support Trump’s deportation agenda?
A bizarre twist in that German Christmas market attack: On Friday, as The Wall Street Journal reports, “A driver rammed a car into a Christmas market in the eastern German town of Magdeburg, leaving at least two dead and more than 60 wounded.” One of the deceased was apparently a young child. As the Journal continues, the attack “revived painful memories for Germans, coming one day after the anniversary of a 2016 terrorist attack in Berlin, in which a rejected Tunisian asylum seeker drove a stolen truck through a Christmas market in the center of the capital, killing 13 people.” Oddly, though, this latest murderer is apparently an anti-Islamic terrorist. The suspect is a 50-year-old doctor who immigrated from Saudi Arabia in 2006 — a profile that naturally causes us to think jihadist. Yet his social media posts indicate he was actually outraged over Germany’s Islamization and authorities’ efforts to censor his objections. The constant here, though, is this: Evil is evil, regardless of the ideology that animates it.
Trump to create “Iron Dome” missile defense shield for U.S. (Newsweek)
Culture
“SNL” audience cheers for healthcare CEO killer (PJ Media)
SJSU volleyball mass exodus after trans athlete scandal rocked program (Fox Sports)
Cardinal Dolan says to focus on the light: As a much-needed counterweight to some of the day’s disturbing news, we note the words of Cardinal Timothy Dolan, Archbishop of New York, who was interviewed over the weekend by Fox News’s Maria Bartiromo. “There seems to be a newfound appreciation for the role of faith, especially in our country,” Cardinal Dolan said, noting Donald Trump’s own newfound appreciation for faith. “I think the assassination attempts kind of renewed in him.” This morning, the Cardinal offered still more encouragement: “We’re all united in noticing the darkness in the world right now. … The dark stuff, the somber stuff, the dreary stuff. … So we need to be united and also looking at the light. And, of course, Christmas is about the birth of the One who proclaimed Himself as the Light of the World, our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. And that’s what we need now. We need the light. We need the star. We need the fire of faith and love and hope.”
As we imagine it, Joe Biden was awakened at some point on Saturday morning and told that Congress had indeed passed an eleventh-hour spending bill to keep the government from shutting down. So he rolled out of bed, put on his slippers, shuffled into the Oval Office, and signed the bill.
But before crawling back into bed, Biden acknowledged a fundamental truth about bills such as this: that they ultimately involve compromise and that “neither side got everything it wanted.” And then he took a weird swipe at his political enemies: “But it rejects the accelerated pathway to a tax cut for billionaires that Republicans sought, and it ensures the government can continue to operate at full capacity. That’s good news for the American people, especially as families gather to celebrate this holiday season.”
The good news for the American people is that they’ve once again dodged that seemingly annual government-shutdown bullet and that they’ll still be able to drive through the front gate at Yellowstone rather than driving around it.
Democrats, of course, wanted a shutdown because it would’ve allowed them to demagogue the issue and claim that Donald Trump and his fellow Republicans can’t govern. And, to a point, they would’ve been right. Budgeting is one of the fundamental duties of Congress, and the Mike Johnson-led House can’t seem to herd the Republican cats as well as iron-fisted Nancy Pelosi herded her fellow Democrats.
As The Washington Post reports, the stopgap bill “funds the government at its current levels through mid-March, providing $110 billion in relief to help natural disaster survivors and aid farmers, granting an extension for the farm bill, and funding to rebuild Baltimore’s collapsed Francis Scott Key Bridge.”
To their credit, House Republicans took the original 1,547-page bipartisan abomination of a bill and slashed it down to 118 pages on Friday. In doing so, the 118th Congress kicked the budgetary can down the road into mid-March for the 119th Congress. As the Post adds, the bill “excludes several key provisions that were in the initial bill, such as a fix for stolen food stamp funds, changes to the operations of pharmacy benefit managers and pay raises for members of Congress.”
Another thing the bill lacks is a two-year extension of the debt ceiling. Why would the Democrats block this extension and postpone it until the near future? Perhaps, given their near-political wilderness, they’re trying to feign fiscal responsibility and show genuine concern for our mind-numbing $36 trillion national debt.
More likely, though, they see it as a bargaining chip for more spending on what our Constitution’s author once derisively called “objects of benevolence.”
Donald Trump had sought this provision, but he and his fellow Republicans will instead have to take it up again in a couple of months with an even more ornery bunch of Democrats. At that time, the minority party will no doubt hold the full faith and credit of the United States hostage to extort from the Republicans some additional spending upon which constitutional provision James Madison himself couldn’t possibly undertake to lay his finger.
Thus, it’s lather-rinse-repeat in broken Washington, where House Republicans will likely also have to decide whether Speaker Johnson should follow Kevin McCarthy into former speakerhood.
“In January,” Johnson promised, “we will make a sea change in Washington. Things are going to be very different around here.”
That sure sounds good, but we’ve heard that tune from Johnson before. As Texas Republican Michael Cloud said on Saturday, “The chaos of this past week was both predictable and avoidable. … Come January, we will need to revisit how Congress operates to ensure it is structured to deliver President Trump’s MAGA agenda. Whether that requires personnel changes, process reforms, or both will be a critical discussion we must have.”
Another discussion worth having would be one about the immorality of all this spending. As Fox News’s Mark Levin put it:
Budget, spending, debt. This debate is about morality. … It’s about what our generation, parents and grandparents, are doing to our children and grandchildren, and generations yet born. We are creating an economic and societal catastrophe [from] which our children and their children will not and cannot survive if we don’t hit the brakes. We’re stealing their wealth. We’re stealing their savings. We’re stealing their livelihoods. We’re stealing their retirements, even before any of it has been created. They will have to pay for everything we are doing, that Congress is doing, that the president is doing today. The profligate spending, the debt, programs — they are going to pay for all of it. And guess what? They don’t even have a vote. We just steal it from them.
For the next two years, the Republicans will control the presidency and both houses of Congress. If they can’t make serious progress during that time on these matters — budget, spending, and debt — then why on earth are we rewarding them with our votes?
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How Elites Betrayed Working People — Batya Ungar-Sargon, an American journalist and author, discusses how illegal immigration is being used for slave labor.
DEI University: Truth Is Out, Social Justice Is In — American universities have transformed into training grounds for social justice warriors, entrenching identity politics as the foundation of higher education.
The Biggest Mistakes Parents Make Today — Leonard Sax discusses how gentle parenting and American popular culture are creating a generation of overly anxious children.
“[Republicans] would rather enact massive tax cuts for their billionaire donors than fund cancer research for children.” —House Democrat Leader Hakeem Jeffries
“I’ve gotten over 100 hostages out [of Gaza].” —Hamas appeaser Joe Biden
Dezinformatsiya
“Majority of Americans oppose Trump’s proposals to test democracy’s limits.” —The Washington Post, which “died in darkness” years ago
Shot/Chaser
“Some of the videos of Mr. Biden circulating during this year’s campaign are clearly manipulated to make him look old and confused.” —The New York Times, June 2024
“It is hard to imagine that [Biden] seriously thought he could do the world’s most stressful job for another four years.” —The New York Times, December 2024
Delusions of Grandeur
“America’s greatest presidents were sometimes treated like punching bags in office — insulted and vilified by opponents. President Biden has endured the same undeserved treatment. But I expect that, like other great presidents, history will judge him more accurately.” —former DNC chair Donna Brazile
Spin Doctor
“An apology: As a journalist, I should have pushed harder on the very real questions about Joe Biden’s physical and mental health as president.” —former CNN pundit Chris Cillizza (“He only cares because his inaction contributed to Trump’s win. He had no courage to say anything because he thought he could cover up Biden’s (obvious) mental decline to help him get reelected.” —Collin Rugg)
For the Record
“Now that Joe Biden is leaving office, we’re finally getting media verification of what we knew all along: Democrats and the media were full-scale LYING to us about Joe Biden’s senility.” —Ben Shapiro
“It is amusing to read accounts of Biden appointees seeking pardons to protect against Trump administration prosecutions: a classic case of projecting your own sins on your opponent, one who could have prosecuted former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton but didn’t.” —Michael Barone
“The media has lost all their power because no one’s watching anymore. They’ve been lying to us for so long. They’ve taken such ridiculous positions that everyone knows exactly what’s happening. … They’re arguing like kindergartners.” —Donald Trump Jr.
“The Department of Education has performed wonderfully once you understand what its true purpose has always been. The department is designed to provide material and political benefits to the teachers’ unions, not to improve student outcomes. In achieving this goal, the Department of Education has been a smashing success.” —Jay Greene
Upright
“With a stroke of my pen on day one, we are going to stop the transgender lunacy. And I will sign executive orders to end child sexual mutilation, get transgender out of the military and out of our elementary schools and middle schools and high schools.” —Donald Trump
“Under my administration, it will be official policy of the United States government that there are only two genders, male and female.” —Donald Trump
Reality Check
“I voted Democrat, and I gotta tell you something right now. I don’t like that I did. I don’t like what I’m seeing.” —sports journalist Stephen A. Smith
Inquiring Minds Want to Know
“The media narrative has moved rapidly from Trump is Hitler and a unique threat to American democracy to Trump isn’t even president and Elon Musk is pulling all the strings. Is Musk Hitler now? I can’t keep up.” —Clay Travis
And Last…
“Power and strength, rather than capitulation and mollification, work in the Middle East. And the world is a better place today because of Israel’s victories.” —David Harsanyi
Many Christians couldn’t imagine -not- having a Bible in the language they speak. That’s the reality for millions and its pushing Bible translators to find new — and faster — ways to get the scripture to every corner of the world. Wycliffe Associates is a leader in the effort. If you’re a college sports fan, you may be familiar with red shirting. Its the practice of keeping athletes out of competition for a year — while they improve their skills. The sky is the limit for Cadets at the U.S.
Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, sounds off on the Biden administration’s foreign policy and discusses the incoming Trump administration’s agenda on ‘Life, Liberty & Levin.’ #foxnews
“Your house and your kingdom will endure forever.”
That’s God’s promise to King David – a pledge and prophecy that came to fruition through the nativity and Jesus’ birth. Matthew Chapter 1 opens with a genealogy of Jesus, describing the Messiah as “the son of David and the son of Abraham.” And Luke Chapter 1 corroborates Jesus’ tie to David when Gabriel approaches Mary and reveals she will bear a son. Verses 32 and 33 read, “He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. And the Lord God will give to him the throne of his father David, and he will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of his kingdom there will be no end.”
Mary is being given a prophecy here that we first see recorded hundreds of years earlier in 1 and 2 Chronicles and 2 Samuel – in particular 2 Samuel Chapter 7, verse 16. It is here in 2 Samuel, God, through Nathan, tells David about his everlasting kingdom — a kingdom build and fulfilled through Jesus’ loving sacrifice.
And that love is the centerpiece of the biblical narrative. The nativity gave way to the cross and the cross gives way to our true freedom and forgiveness. But a full understanding of both the Old and New Testaments — and the prophecy therein — is what opens us to fully understanding what all of this means. Listen to the finale of “Jesus and the Prophecies of Christmas.”
Sadly, it is somewhat common for Christian churches to impose rules about matters of indifference. For example, some churches have an unwritten but real rule that men must wear ties and women cannot wear pants/slacks. Some churches have an unwritten but real rule that all tattoos are sinful. I’ve heard stories about pastors telling people reading Harry Potter is unchristian or that using translations besides the KJV is ill-advised. The list goes on and on and on. Imposing rules – spoken or unspoken – about things indifferent is legalism. It’s against the principles of Christian liberty to establish rules about matters of indifference. Instead of submitting again to a yoke of slavery, Paul calls Christians to stand firm in the liberty Christ won for us (Gal 5:1). I appreciate Charles Hodge’s discussion of this point:
….When it is obligatory [commanded by people] to abstain from the use of things indifferent it is a matter of private judgment. No man has the right to decide that question for other men. No bishop, priest, or church court has the right to decide it. Otherwise it would not be a matter of liberty. Paul constantly recognized the right (ἐξουσία) of Christians to judge in such cases for themselves. He does this not by implication only, but he also expressly asserts it, and condemns those who would call it in question. “Let not him that eats despise him that does. not eat; and let not him who eats not judge him that eats: for God has received him. Who art you that judges another man’s servant? To his own master he stands or falls.” “One man esteems one day above another: another esteems every day alike. Let every man be fully persuaded in his own mind.” (Rom. 14:3, 4, 5.)
It is a common saying that every man has a pope in his own bosom. That is, the disposition to lord it over God’s heritage [people] is almost universal. Men wish to have their opinions on moral questions made into laws to bind the consciences of their brethren. This is just as much a usurpation of a divine prerogative when done by a private Christian or by a church court, as when done by the Bishop of Rome. We are as much bound to resist it in the one case as in the other.
Over the centuries, the Christmas story has been re-cast and romanticized into a kind of Christian “mythology.” But what do the Scriptures really tell us about Jesus’ birth?
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