The End Is Near?

Dear Friends,

There has been an excited rush from politicians, prophets and pastors alike to predict that Russia’s Vladimir Putin will detonate a nuclear weapon and bring an apocalyptic end to our world. Please don’t be alarmed. It was going to end soon anyway according to liberal socialist Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) who, four years ago, predicted that the world would come to an end in twelve years because of climate change. So we really only have eight years left!

AOC said that  global warming will “destroy the planet” in twelve years and that “everyone in the millennial generation knows that it will happen.” She said, “And, like, this is the war; this is our World War III. For real.” That was helpful news when I heard it because I needed to get my roof replaced and was considering a roof with a 25 year guarantee. But since I believe everything politicians tell me, I’ve decided to save money and just get the less-expensive ten year roof...

Isaac Newton is a well-known  scientist from the 17th century who “discovered” the law of gravity. But few people know that he was also a certified whacko. Newton’s passionate interest was black magic and he went on an obsessive endeavor to create a magic “rock” which he believed would have the power to bestow eternal life. Newton studied the Bible, renamed himself “Jehovah Sanctus Unus” (the one holy god) and famously predicted that the world will end in 2060. So if we believe the scientist over the socialist, that gives us about three more decades and may help those who are planning their retirement annuities.

A few years ago, Christian numerologist David Meade scared the millennial generation half to death with a book called “Planet X” that described a death star destined to crash into the earth and annihilate it on April 23, 2018. After that didn’t pan out like he hoped, he corrected the end of the world for sometime between May and December 2018. I guess I don’t have to tell you how that prediction turned out either. We can look back and scoff at the silliness of it all, but I knew some intelligent, Bible-believing Christians who were absolutely certain the world was coming to an end in 2018 and that belief changed their entire life.

Even worse was when Christian radio broadcaster and evangelist Harold Camping provided “biblical proof” that the world would end on May 21, 2011 and his followers very sadly did some extremely foolish things in expectation that the Rapture would happen that day. Jesus had said about His return, “But of that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, but My Father only.” Matthew 24:36

What part of that did this “Bible teacher” and evangelist not understand? I was not angry that this Harold Camping was an idiot. What made me angry is that this one foolish and false prophet gave place to the devil and the level of ridicule toward Christians ratcheted up to an all-time high.

As Camping’s day of Rapture approached, there was an article in the LA Times about a website called “You've Been Left Behind.” For $14.95, a Christian could have a letter sent to their unbelieving loved ones to inform them that they (the believer) had been “raptured” and were no longer on earth. Christians wrote large checks to “Eternal Earth-Bound Pets” to take care of the believer’s dogs and cats when the rapture occurred. The LA Times portrayed these atheist businesses as shrewd and depicted Christian believers as naïve and foolish. Harold Camping received nation-wide attention from liberal network news anchors who made no attempt to hide their laughter and disdain at Christian believers.

Harold Camping repented and admitted his “predictions were sinful” but the damage had been done. He’d spent 100 million dollars on billboards and radio advertising!! What if he'd given 100 million dollars to the Christian non-profit “Feed The Children” that supplies food, medicine and clothing to needy families? What if he’d spent that 100 million dollars on Bibles in different languages to send to other countries? The late Harold Camping shows us that a Christian’s actions – our behavior – will bring people one step closer to Jesus or move them one step away. 

During my own relatively short time on earth, the end of the world has been predicted at least 79 times according to my research. Predictions from politicians, psychics and Popes; astrologer Jeanne Dixon, Jehovah’s Witnesses, Calvary Chapel’s Chuck Smith, Pat Robertson, Jerry Falwell, John Hagee and others. Predictions by scientists and socialists. The earth will end in giant tides and earthquakes, collisions with death stars, apocalyptic race wars, a change in the earth’s axis that pulls it into the sun, alien invasions and now climate change and an unstable Russian president.  Every time an “end-date” comes up, I’ve known Christians who listened to the false prophets and were terrified. 

Perhaps we just need to read our Bible. The Sovereign God is in control of all that happens in His Creation and He rules over all the nations. Psalm 22:28 And Jesus said that “all end-times predictions are hogwash” Matthew 24:36 (my translation). I’m not sure that anything else needs to be said about it.

Where Are Your Red Dots?

Dear Friends,

We are hunters and gatherers. Ever since Adam and Eve foraged in the Garden, we have been on the hunt. It’s in our DNA – what we’re wired to do. Friday is the day she and I often go hunting.

We pause outside the store and look at each other one last time. She will go her way and I mine – we are after different prey. We anticipate the next moments and adrenaline courses through our bloodstream. There is a surge of synaptic brain activity. Senses are sharpened. As we enter, a tinkling bell over the door signals our arrival and the hunt is on. She moves quickly to the left. The women's "Goldstar Collection." She’s incredible. A glance at an article of clothing and within a second she can determine and evaluate the brand name, size, color, style, cost and how it will look on her. I move to the right. I’m hunting for hardcover books and within minutes I’ve captured two for me and three for her. Nearly new. Read maybe once. Original cost is $26.95 apiece but now they’re only a dollar. 

She catches my eye and holds up a red jacket with western embroidery. It’s a Scully – a high-end brand of western clothing. Not a brand you wear when you grab the reins and step into the saddle. Scully outfits are worn when you grab your guitar and step up on stage. Original cost was well over $200. It looks brand new. Never worn. Price tag says $15 and she tries it on. Perfect fit. Too good a deal to pass up! We take our plunder to the cash register. The lady looks at the tag on the Scully and tells us that green tagged items are the daily special. The jacket is only 99 cents. YES!! Thank You Lord!!!

She and I are far too mature and cool to be doing a happy dance on the way to the car, but we are both very excited. This has been one awesome hunting trip. We’ve just bought approximately $285 of almost brand-new merchandise for six bucks. I guess that’s why they call them “thrift” stores.

The thrift stores we like to go to are the ones run by churches, parachurch organizations and those with a mission to help disadvantaged children. Our favorite thrift store, the “Bargain Box” in Ventura (described above) generates about $200,000 a year for at-risk children and those with special needs. That’s why every year we love to take boxes of clothing, books, household items, even collectibles, crystal and furniture to this thrift store. Some “thrift stores” are actually just second-hand stores but when you donate to and purchase from thrift stores operated by non-profit organizations, you are actively participating in their ministry and mission to help others.  

Many of us are familiar with the St Vincent de Paul Thrift Stores. These are run by a world-wide Christian organization dedicated to providing assistance for the needy. Income from their thrift stores provides the funding for food programs, job training, disaster relief, shelter for the abused, youth programs, prison ministries and indigent burials.

Vincent de Paul was born in 1581 into a peasant family in a small village in France. As a young priest, he was sent to Paris to minister to the wealthy and instead came face to face with French peasants living in squalor and misery. From this point, God changed the direction of his life. He enlisted others in helping orphans, the sick, and the hungry and a religious order was formed that became the Society of St. Vincent de Paul.

On a wall in a mission chapel founded by Vincent is a map of the city of Paris. Small red dots cover the entire map. Each dot marks a place that was touched by the humble priest during his life. An orphanage founded. Starving people fed. The sick healed. People helped. A sermon preached to those hungry for the Word of God. Each dot representing the fruit of his ministry. Vincent believed in the priority of action – in spreading the Kingdom of God into where God had placed him. Not just preaching about God’s love. Showing people what God’s love looks like.

The Gospel calls us to a life of love. Love for God. Love for others. The upcoming season of Lent is a time of self-reflection as we await in semidarkness for the glory of His Resurrection on Easter Sunday. Take a moment and reflect upon your life. What does your map look like? Do you have a bunch of red dots scattered all over and filling the map of your own lifetime? Do you have dots showing where you have made a difference in the lives of others? Where God’s love has been manifested through you? Where you have helped others? Where you have reached out and touched someone with the Kingdom of God? Do you have red dots spread all over your map showing your kind deeds, gentle words and loving actions? What does the map of your life look like...?

 

Critical Race Theory and the Bible

The man on the left is named John. The man on the right is named John. These two guys became good friends and as close as brothers this year. John and I both have laughed at how much alike we are in our beliefs, values, personalities and in even our obsessions and perfectionistic behaviors that most certainly drive our loved ones nuts. Among what we share in common, most importantly, is that we both fervently love the Lord our God with all our heart and we try hard to love our neighbor as ourselves. What’s so interesting about our similarities as we’ve matured in the Lord and become the men He’s destined us to be is that our life experiences are so completely different. One of us was born and raised in Virginia and is just a few generations from family members who were slaves. The other one of us was born and raised in the suburbs of Los Angeles. But based not on our past experiences, but on our current similarities, I call John my “doppelgänger” meaning a person who is a near clone of another. By strict definition, a “doppelgänger” means that the other looks like you do and if you look closely at the above photo you’ll see that there’s a difference between the two of us in our physical appearance. And there’s the problem... 

Because elite liberals who make the decisions about what our American culture needs to believe, tell us that the man on the right, because of his skin color, is the “oppressor” of the man on the left who is the “oppressed.” If you live in California, that concept will be taught to your children or grandchildren if they attend public schools. In order to appear “woke,” companies across America are rushing to send employees to training seminars on this philosophy and if you attend a liberal mainline church, that may be preached from the pulpit. It’s called “Critical Race Theory.”

CRITICAL RACE THEORY (CRT) tells me that any similarities between these two men are insignificant and trivial because John with the darker colored skin tone will always be the victim of John with the lighter colored skin. CRT also tells me that because I believe and preach the Word of God that John and I are equal, that’s “hate speech” and absolute proof that I’m a white supremacist. CRT tells me that there is nothing equal about John and me. The Bible tells me that we are equal in every way. The Law of Non-Contradiction tells us that Critical Race Theory and the Word of God cannot both be correct. Only one can be true.

CRT teaches that America is a fundamentally flawed and racist country and all our institutions are inherently systemically racist. That includes the Christian church because its doctrine was determined by white European males and therefore the church is rooted in systemic racism. All schools are rooted in white supremacy. The goal of CRT is to liberate the oppressed by removing power from Whites in order to dismantle structural racism. The tool used is Social Justice activism that replaces Biblical equality with Marxist equity meaning that Whites must now be intentionally discriminated against in order to transfer their power and privilege to non-Whites.

CRT does help us to think about
the complexities of racism,

acknowledge our Country’s part in it

and perhaps our own

more personal sins of racism. 

But what is dividing and creating tension, anger and hatred in our Country today is the fundamentally divisive CRT teaching that there are only two groups in society, the oppressors and the oppressed. Those born White have an embedded White Privilege that is all pervasive and permanent and, as such, all Whites are racists. 

What is most disturbing about CRT is that we are regressing back to the earlier days of racial segregation in our Nation’s history by being taught to hate one another according to our skin coloring. Because of the shameful era of slavery in our Nation, it might be considered normal and natural for Blacks who are  descendant from slaves, to hate white supremacists and racists. And today, CRT tells us all that everyone who is born white, is a racist – it doesn’t matter what you believe, say or how you act, if your skin color is “white,” you’re a racist. If, however, you are born with a skin color other than white, you are not a racist. According to CRT, a Black person cannot be a racist no matter how much he or she hates White people. There are some on both the right and the left who are fearful that as hate increases, America is on the verge of another race war. 

Do you see CRT as being

unifying or divisive

for our Country today?

Hand-in-hand with Critical Race Theory is the concept of INTERSECTIONALITY (IS) that was introduced in 1989 as a tool for determining your personal level as oppressor or oppressed. For example, I am number one at the top of the “oppressor category” because I am White, male, Christian, heterosexual, able-bodied and a native born American. According to CRT, if you’re in the oppressed category, it’s understandable and even permissible for you to hate, attack and “cancel” me for who I am because I am your oppressor. Who are the oppressed? If you are Black, you may be a billionaire and CEO of a large corporation but you are the “oppressed.” If you are a Black woman you are even more oppressed. If you are Black, transgender and disabled, you are the most oppressed of all.

But when we divide people into these two categories by skin color alone, does it make sense to us that a White single mom in a minimum wage job and struggling to feed her two children is the oppressor of a male Black billionaire CEO because her skin color is “white” and his is “black”? It does makes sense when we remember that the goal of CRT is to convince all Whites of their systemic racism and to compel them to surrender their “power and privilege” to those oppressed in order to achieve the desired equity.

CRT is rooted in the teachings of atheists Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels who were anti-Semitic racists and who saw the family and Christianity as impediments to their socialist ideology. Both CRT and our Bible recognize that our world is broken by the evils of racism and injustice but CRT teaches a very different version of humanity, sin and redemption than what the Word of God teaches. CRT makes it clear that I am responsible for every sin that every White person has ever committed against a person of color. The Bible makes it clear that God holds each individual responsible only for his or her own sins. Ezekiel 18:1-4; Ezekiel 18:30

Intersectionality is based upon an atheistic world-view that disbelieves and ignores what God and His Word tells us about the human race – that we are all created in God’s image Genesis 1:27 and we are all of One Blood. CRT and IS are incompatible with the Bible and with Christian beliefs, values and doctrine. Our Bible tells us that we must no longer conform to this world Romans 12:2 and yet that’s exactly what some church denominations have chosen to do. The liberal church denominations that are adopting CRT and IS as co-existent with Christianity do so through their Social Justice worldview but our authority for how to live our lives must come from God alone through His Word alone and not from atheistic Marxist ideology. The good news of the Gospel is that we are all equal and we are called to love God and love others. How can the church overcome the growing influence of CRT? By turning to the Word of God and the science of DNA.

Look again at the above photo and you’d be forgiven for thinking, “Thank God I’m nothing like those two old geezers in the photo!” but according to God’s design and creation of you, you’re more like John and me than you’d think! According to the science of DNA, those of us in the human species are 99.9% genetically similar. (The percentage of 99.5 in last week’s Amen Corner was incorrect) Let’s look at my biological sister and me to see how that plays out. Because of that one tenth of a percent difference, she’s female and I’m a male. I have hazel eyes and hers are a grayish blue. Our facial features are very different. When she was young, people said she looked like actress Farrah Fawcett and people said I looked like a young Orson Welles. My sister and I are grateful to God that it wasn’t the other way around, but aside from the obvious differences, my sister and I are 99.9% the same. The way God created you, you’re 99.9% similar to both the John on the right and the John on the left.

"..He gives to all life, breath and all things.

And He has made from one blood

every nation of men to dwell

on all the face of the earth.."

Acts 17:25-26

For many centuries God’s children have hated each other and treated others horribly and shamefully  because of that one tenth of one percent difference in their DNA that resulted in a dark colored (Black) or light colored (White) skin tone. What unifies us as one people group – the way God created us – is to understand how similar we are to each other – that’s why the church needs to teach the truth of God’s Creation, that we are One Race. One Blood. 

If you have ever made assumptions about another person, based upon that one tenth of one percent difference in their DNA, because the color tone of their skin was darker or lighter than yours, you need to repent and receive God’s forgiveness. The next thing we all need to do as believers is to speak up when we see injustice and hatred. Churches have too often gone down one of two opposite paths. Churches that focus on Social Justice to the degree that they have replaced the Word of God with liberal socialist messages or churches with pastors and priests who have stayed silent to avoid conflict and confrontation.

The Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. rebuked Christians for their silence during the racial injustice of the 50's and 60's. From his jail cell in Birmingham Alabama, King wrote, “I felt that the white ministers, priests and rabbis of the South would be among our strongest allies. Instead, some have been outright opponents, refusing to understand the freedom movement and misrepresenting its leaders; all too many others have been more cautious than courageous and have remained silent behind the anesthetizing security of stained glass windows.”

As the body of Christ, we must collectively no longer remain silent. We need to speak up for the Word of God and speak against increasingly popular atheist teachings that will divide and could possibly irreparably harm our Country. Yes we do have a shameful history of racism in America, but we have a God who redeems and restores.

A church cannot change the past,

but we can change the future.

Let’s pray that it does.

♰ ♰ ♰

The Father of White Supremacy

Dear Friends,

Charles Darwin is lauded as one of the greatest investigative scientists of his day and is considered to be one of the most influential men of all time. His 1859 book On the Origin of Species presented his theories on evolution that were quickly accepted as “science.” Darwin then wrote The Descent of Man, and Selection in Relation to Sex in which he examined how humans evolved from apes.  Darwin was a celebrity in the field of science and that book also was considered to be scientific fact. Darwin is known as the “Father of Evolution.” You may want to think of him as the “Father of White Supremacy.”

Charles Darwin begins The Descent of Man by theorizing that the laws governing the evolution of man must coincide with the “laws” governing the evolution of the “lower animals.” He writes that “at some future period..the civilized races of man will almost certainly exterminate the savage races throughout the world.” Darwin was convinced that the white “civilized races” would exterminate the less evolved and more “ape-like” Negroes. He believed that the Negro and Aboriginal Australians (using Darwin's terms) were closer in appearance to the gorilla, (p.521) and the Negro was a “sub-species” somewhere in the evolutionary lineage between the Caucasian and the ape. In addition to these “scientific” race theories, Darwin also wrote that “The average of mental power in man must be above that of woman and man has ultimately become superior to woman.”

Darwin’s closest student, biologist Thomas Huxley, helped to expand Darwin’s theories by writing, “It may be quite true that some Negroes are better than some white men; but no rational man, cognizant of the facts, believes that the average Negro is the equal, still less the superior, of the white man.” Huxley advanced Darwin’s theory that the Negro had mental faculties closer to the ape than to the more evolved superior Caucasian. He wrote, “..the highest places in the hierarchy of civilization will assuredly not be within the reach of our dusky cousins.” As Darwin’s student and a fellow scientist, Huxley’s expansion of Darwin’s ideas were also recognized as “scientific facts.”

According to the “brilliant” scientists, Charles Darwin’s theory of evolution “proved” that some groups of humans are superior to other groups. That’s the dogma and sin of White Supremacy that became “science” 150 years ago when God’s Creation was explained by atheist scientists instead of by theologians. The Descent of Man is still used by White Supremacists today because.. it’s their “science.” But Darwin’s racist “science” is not the Word of God.

There is one human race that God created. He created male and female in His image. Genesis 1:27 All of humanity was created from Adam and Eve and as we bear their image, we bear the image of our Heavenly Father. 1 Cor 15:45-49 In God’s Kingdom there is no distinction between people groups. Romans 10:12-13 In Christ, even the minor distinctions between us as individuals fade away. Gal 3:27-29 

The Bible does refer to people groups who have different shades of skin and hair color but it was not until the 1700's that society assigned race labels to people according to their skin color. The Bible refers to different families, tribes, nations and the languages they speak, but God sees all people as one people that the Bible calls “man” (in this context used as a generic term for both sexes.)

Our DNA shows that God created all humans to be 99.5% alike and the .5% difference is caused by natural genetic variation. Society likes to use skin color as the separator of “races,” but the skin color of European Caucasians range from pale white to a very dark brown. Darwin’s conclusions about skin color being a marker of how far we’ve evolved from apes are nonsense. 

The bottom line is that there is only one race – the human race. God gives life and breath to all and He has made “from one blood” every person who has ever dwelled on this earth. Acts 17:25-26 The sin of racial hatred didn’t start with Darwin but his evil theory of white “superiority” over other “races” needs to end. Some churches need to teach the reality of God’s creation. It’s one blood. One race.

In the news last week, Dylaan Roof appealed his death conviction for murdering nine people during a Bible study at the Emanuel AME Church in South Carolina. When we first heard about those horrific murders in 2015, we were stunned to hear his ELCA Lutheran pastor describe Roof as a committed Christian who was a member of the church and who regularly attended youth camps and worship services. 

White supremacy is vehemently denounced by Christian believers and yet, Roof had been taught to hate African Americans believing Darwin's "science" that they were of a race inferior to his. Did he not know that the blood he shed that day was the exact same that runs through his own veins? That he was killing his brothers and sisters in the Lord? Roof’s church denomination has responded to racism in the church with a zealous focus on political activism but today’s Critical Race Theory doesn’t unite people groups, it divides them. Churches need to teach the Word of God. There is one blood. One race. Period.  to be continued...

Beware The Kryptonite!

Dear Friends,

It’s a Bird..It’s a Plane..It’s Superman! I loved that old black and white tv show as a kid and more than anything else, I wanted to be like Superman when I grew up. While Sunday School flannel boards were teaching me the biblical stories, Superman was teaching me Christian behavior and values. 

Using his powers to help others, Superman fought for “Truth, Justice and the American Way.” I practiced my flying at an early age. Jumping off the back of the couch with a little blue blanket around my neck like a cape, I could fly the entire three feet until I hit the floor. After I “flew” off a high-top dresser, my mom made my dad lock up the ladder with a chain so that I couldn’t get up on the roof. 

Superman had been given incredible powers: superhuman strength, superhearing and of course the very cool “x-ray” vision. And his powers were never used for his own selfish needs. They were only to be used to help others. Strong Judeo-Christian elements are woven through the Superman story. His birth name was Kay-El, Hebrew for “Voice of God.” The creators of Superman in 1930 were inspired by Samson, the strongest man in the world and Moses, who freed and saved the Israelites. Superman is an analogy of the Messiah - Jesus Christ - sent to earth as a Savior of humanity.

But alas, unlike Jesus Christ, Superman had a nemesis. Something that could strip away his superpowers and leave the Man of Steel weak and helpless. That one thing that could destroy Superman was the green, glowing crystal called Kryptonite.

As a child, more than anything, I wanted to have superpowers so that I could help others, and it was many years later that God answered those prayers. I never received superhuman powers but did receive supernatural powers. I still can’t fly but I can use my supernatural powers – my God-given gifts – for the good of others. (May God forgive me when I don’t) And, I’ve learned that I need to watch out for the Kryptonite.

When we accept Jesus as our Lord and Savior, we receive the whole Triune package: God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit. When we subsequently receive the baptism of the Holy Spirit, we receive one or more of the spiritual gifts that Paul lists in 1 Corinthians 12:1-11. Perhaps words of Wisdom or Knowledge. A gift of Faith or Healings. The working of Miracles or Prophecy or the gift of Discernment of Spirits. Maybe even Tongues or the ability to Interpret Tongues of others. 

But none are given for our own use. The New Living Translation probably says it best: “A spiritual gift is given to each of us as a means of helping the entire church.” 1 Corinthians 12:7 When the Holy Spirit activates these gifts - our “superpowers” - God desires that they flow strongly within us and that they are always used for His purposes: for the good of others. That’s why we need to watch out for the Kryptonite. 

The early church called them the “SEVEN DEADLY SINS” and they will indeed deaden your ministry to others, rob you of your supernatural gifts and may even weaken you to the point of depression, discouragement, despondency and despair.

Our Christian Kryptonite is one or more of those seven sins: wrath, greed, sloth, pride, lust, envy, and gluttony. Wrath is our uncontrolled anger that leads to self-destructive bitterness and unforgiveness of others. Greed is the pursuit of material things. We laugh and call it “shopping therapy;” God calls it “sin.” Sloth is more than just physical laziness, it’s spiritual laziness. And Sloth is anytime we fail to do what God wants us to do. When we don’t use our gifts of the Holy Spirit for others, we are practicing the sin of Sloth. Pride is the deadliest of the seven. Pride caused Lucifer to fall from Heaven and become Satan. Our Pride delivers us into the Enemy’s hands. We think of Lust in the context of sexual desire but it is actually an intense, ungodly desire for anything that is spiritually unhealthy for us to have. Envy is biblically defined as the feeling of any discontent towards that which is possessed by others. Envy is coveting what He has given to others. Be thankful to God for the blessings He has given you. Gluttony is an unhealthy overindulgence with food and drink. Sadly it is the only sin accepted by the church. A 2006 study showed that Christian men and women were more likely to be overweight than non-Christians. The study found that Christian women who were Baptist or Black or married had a significantly higher BMI than the general population and far more likely to be obese. 

We all sin daily in thought, word and deed and all fall short of the glory of God, Romans 3:23 but we don’t give place to those sins and quench our “superpowers.” We pick ourselves up, confess our sins and constantly strive to live our lives according to His will for us.

Identify the gifts that the Holy Spirit has activated within you. Use these spiritual “superpowers” wisely for the good of others. And if you ever start feeling flattened by life and spiritually weak, check yourself for the deadly presence of Christian Kryptonite. Amen?

The NEW Prosperity Gospel!

Dear Friends,

Have you ever walked out of a dark theater or dimly-lit restaurant and been overwhelmed by the brilliance of the mid-day sun? The contrast brings a greater awareness of the darkness we’ve exited from and accentuates the light that we’ve entered into. I recently went to Sam’s Club and saw both evil and good displayed right next to each other on the warehouse shelves. Both darkness and light are on sale at member’s-only special prices during the upcoming holiday season, and as we cycle through Fall and Winter holidays, perhaps the one good thing we can say about Halloween is that when it’s over, we step out of the darkness and celebration of evil and into the brilliant light of Thanksgiving and Christmas. 

I see displays of harvest baskets with the brilliant, golden colors of autumn. I see gravestones, skulls and skeletons symbolizing death, alongside Nativity sets signifying life. I see animatronic demons with flashing red eyes and I see fire-breathing dragons. I see Mary kneeling next to the baby Jesus lying in the manger. I wonder what possessed the store manager to display the demons right next to Jesus. What a contrast between darkness and light when we transition from Halloween to Thanksgiving and then to Christmas!

But I wonder if we should also be transitioning from a season of Thanks-Getting into a season of Thanks-Giving. We love Thanksgiving and celebrate it as a day to feast! But do our prayers sound like this? “Thank you Lord for Your bountiful blessing of this Thanksgiving Feast, as we consume turkey, stuffing and mashed potatoes smothered with gravy until we are bloated with Your blessings.”

We express our thanks and gratitude to God throughout the year: “Thank you God for Your generous financial provision,” we pray as we quickly deposit that check safely in the bank where no one else can get their grubby hands on our money.

“Lord, thank You for all your good gifts this Christmas,” we pray as we add another cute, red top to the twelve red tops we already have hanging in our closet. Or unwrap the latest, ergonomically-correct, computer-balanced, miracle putter guaranteed to improve our golf game. (Okay..maybe we do need that...)

“Thank you Lord for all You have blessed us with,” as we survey our packed garage or storage rooms filled with expensive things we will no longer use (and perhaps never did?).

And many years ago, during this season of giving thanks to God, He put on my heart that I needed to start practicing and preaching the Prosperity Gospel. No, no, no. Not that Prosperity Gospel! I’m talking about an entirely NEW Prosperity Gospel. 

The doctrine of the old Prosperity Gospel is not based on scripture and was developed by American Protestants in the 1950's. That doctrine says that financial blessing is the will of God for all believers. You must confess that, believe in it, use positive thoughts and speech to affirm it and of course you must give a “seed faith” to your church or to the prosperity preacher’s ministry to “activate” your “blessing” of material wealth.

But the NEW Prosperity Gospel is not based on self-centered desires; it’s based on God’s Word and the Lord’s desire that His kids share their things. The old PG takes “authority” over what I don’t have and commands that God give it to me; the NEW PG looks at what God has already given me to see how I can use what I have to bless others. 

The NEW PG is not based on my getting more, it’s based on my giving more. It’s not coveting what you don’t have and “Naming and Claiming” it. It’s naming what you do have and giving it away to someone who needs it more than you do. If that sounds shocking to you, open your Bible and read Acts 2:41-47 paying special attention to verses 44-45.

The old Prosperity Gospel, preached in many churches, says that God wants you to live in affluence, wealth, opulence and luxury. But the Bible says: “Sell your possessions and give to those in need. This will store up treasure for you in heaven! Your treasure will be safe; no thief can steal it and no moth can destroy it. If you have two shirts, give one to the poor. If you have food, share it with those who are hungry. You should help the poor and remember the words of the Lord Jesus: ‘It is more blessed to give than to receive.’” Luke 12:33 NLT; Luke 3:11; Acts 20:35

Have you become swept up in a swirling tsunami of things? On a first-name basis with the Amazon Prime driver? Bloated with blessings that are rusting away and attracting moths? The NEW Prosperity Gospel says, “Feed the hungry, and help those in trouble. Then your light will shine out from the darkness..” Isaiah 58:10 If you practiced the NEW Prosperity Gospel, what would your priorities look like? What would you be doing differently in your life? With your money? With your things? With your time? Are you willing to turn this season of Thanksgetting into a season of Thanksgiving?

White Power and the Third Option

Dear Friends,

Miles G. McPherson is the pastor of our Nation’s 19th largest megachurch with 20,000 people. The Rock Church in San Diego is known throughout our Nation for demonstrating the love of God through service in their community. I want you to hear his voice today instead of mine.

As a human being I can express my horror and grief at the visual images of a Black man dying under the knee of a police officer. As a Pastor I can preach (and have) that we are all one race – the human race – and equal in all respects. But my life experiences will be different than those with a darker skin color. I read too many articles from White elites who are leading a “woke” revolution and using a voice of authority to explain to us what it’s like to be an African-American in our country. But when we Whites assume a dominant position in society and become the self-appointed ones to explain Black anguish, that’s simply another form of “white supremacy.” As a White man, I can’t write with any authenticity about the Black experience. I’m outraged over the street execution of George Floyd but my anger is different than an African-American’s. I don’t know what they’re thinking.. feeling.. sensing... I don’t know their fears and hurts. I can only listen and learn.. 

George Floyd's death: White power and the third option

by Miles G. McPherson

I grew up in a diverse family. One of my grandmothers was White, another was Black and Chinese, and both of my grandfathers were Black. Three of my four grandparents hailed from Jamaica, and eventually immigrated to America. I was born and raised in Jamaica, Queens, where diversity was the norm in my home, but not in my neighborhood or at my school. My neighborhood was 95% black, and the neighborhood I attended school in was 100% white. Growing up in both environments forced me to learn how to operate in two racially-distinct worlds. Daily, I experienced racism. 

I was regularly called the ‘N’ word and targeted by racial jokes and comments as I made my way to and from school each day. On more than one occasion, I wasn’t sure if I’d make it home alive. And, to make things even worse, I experienced racial rejection in my own neighborhood as well, for not being “black enough.” 

I grew up in the culture of the sixties and early seventies, which was a racially volatile time in America. One of the most poignant lessons I learned early on, was that “white was right,” and that “black and brown” should “stand down.” This lesson embodied the very essence of “White Power,” and disobeying it resulted in incarceration or death for people who looked like me. In essence, “White Power” meant that at any given time, a White person could tell me what to do, take what I had, and determine the outcome of my life. This is what I felt, no matter how true it really was. And people of color, like me, I knew, were powerless to stop it. As much as White Power impacted me, it was worse for those who were darker than me and even worse for those who were darker-skinned and poor.

Because my grandmother was white, I have light skin, causing white people to see more of themselves in me than in darker-skinned black people. That commonality, I was told, lessened their fear. But it didn’t change the fact that I was still just another ‘N’ word to some, causing me to experience a sense of powerlessness that plagued me into adulthood. Racism becomes even more dangerous when it is combined with this type of power. Though racism is something that anyone can experience regardless of their skin color, racism from White people is uniquely powerful, because it embodies the ability to express hatred in violent and demeaning ways, and get away with it. People of color are painfully aware of this fact, while most white people have no idea how great an impact their privilege has on the lives of their brothers and sisters of color. 

Being called the “N” word is not just a derogatory term. Yes, it says to its target, “you are less than me,” but it also conveys the message, “Don’t forget that you have no power over me or your situation. I control you. I can wrong you, even kill you and get away with it, and you will have no power to change that.” This message is what causes people of color to feel powerless in witnessing the murders of black men and women like Ahmaud Arbrey, George Floyd, and Breonna Taylor. And it is exacerbated a thousand-fold by the sense that they have no way of ever changing it. 

The cop kneeling on George Floyd’s neck, even after George was dead, was ultimately an expression of power. To make things worse, while the cop was killing George, he had his hand in his pocket. His casual but lethal exercise of power was embodied in his very posture, as a reminder to all of us “N’s” that he was in charge, and that the rest of us could do nothing about it. The bottom line is that Whites have more power than Black people in America. And racial discrimination will not be eliminated until White power is used to end it. Blacks can scream until their faces turn purple, but unless White power is leveraged for their benefit, things will stay the same.

It would help tremendously if White people spoke out against abuses of power more consistently, and loudly. But their collective silence on this issue is deafening, and constitutes a form of withholding help from their brothers and sister in need. The best analogy I can equate it to is watching someone else drown, and having a life preserver, but choosing not to throw it in. As Martin Luther King Jr. so eloquently said, “In the end, we will remember not the words of our enemies, but the silence of our friends.” 

I have been sharing with my White friends that their silence tells communities of color, “We affirm our power, and we don’t want to  jeopardize it.” It also signals a message that Whites reserve their power for White priorities, and that the lives and welfare of Black people is not one of them. By staying silent, they add fuel to the fire of an “us vs. them” culture, which causes everyone to feel like a “sell out” for speaking up for the “other” side. 

It is culture, not God, who tells that being pro-black means being anti-white, or being pro-white is being anti-black. And it’s a lie. God commands us to be pro-people, pro-justice, and pro-love. That’s why I wrote a book called The Third Option, urging readers to reject the trap of “us vs. them” thinking, by choosing to honor our similarities as precious and beloved children of God, instead of focusing on the differences in the color of our skin.

Everyone who says they care about these issues, always asks me what they can do to help, and I’m moved by their desire to take action. But rather than reinvent the wheel on how to change policy and culture, I’d rather focus on offering ideas regarding who we should work to become. 

Become an honoring person: Convert every dishonoring label into an honoring one. Whatever label you give someone will be the filter through which your thoughts and expectations are shaped about them – for better or worse. Changing their labels in your heart leads to honoring and unifying beliefs about them, even when you may not understand their words or actions. 

Become honest with yourself: Admit that you see color and be honest with yourself about the burdens that come with being a person of color in America. Ask yourself how it would feel if your relatives or people who looked like you were being killed and justice was denied because of their skin tone. Ask yourself whether you value a Black life the same as a White life, and whether you truly believe that Black people are made in the same image of God as Whites.

Become a humble learner: As I wrote in my book, The Third Option, a blind spot is being unaware of something that you don’t even know you think or believe. EVERYONE has blind spots, especially when it comes to race. And the only way to overcome them is by learning the truth about ourselves and others. Engage in conversations, and do so from a position of humility. Don’t assume the position of a teacher who has all of the answers. Put yourself in the shoes of another, and ask if what you believe about them is fair or true. You’ll be amazed at how simple awareness and an honest conversation can help you resolve your racial blind spots. 

Become vocal! Use your words, your platform, and your power to say something. Express your remorse for what’s happening to the Black community. State your belief that all people are created equal and made in the image of God. Affirm your commitment to standing against injustice. Being vocal will result in three outcomes: first, you will encourage the discouraged (1 Thessalonians 5:11); second, you will challenge others to stand for justice (Isaiah 1:17, Micah 6:8); and third, you will be blessed for “defending the defenseless” (Psalm 82:3).

__________________________________________________

Miles McPherson is the Senior Pastor of the Rock Church in San Diego. He is also a motivational speaker and author. McPherson's latest book “The Third Option” speaks out about the pervasive racial divisions in today’s culture and argues that we must learn to see people not by the color of their skin, but as God sees them—humans created in the image of God.

Reprinted with Permission from The Christian Post

Evangelicals - An Inconvenient Truth

Dear Friends,

It has become an “accepted” narrative among the mainstream media in our Country that Evangelical Christians are the enemy of our Nation. We see that in interviews, commentaries and discussions across the TV news networks and the internet “news.” A recent article in the left-leaning Atlantic acknowledged that Evangelical Christians “have been mocked, scorned, and dishonored by the elite culture over the years.” An editorial in the L.A. Times characterized all Evangelicals as “racist.” MSNBC’s Joe Scarborough lamented the “degradation of evangelical Christianity” because about  seven-in-ten white evangelical Protestants (69%) say they approve of the way Trump is handling his job as president. That same poll* showed that 52% of the most liberal church in America (ELCA) also approves of Trump, but that unmentionable fact gets set aside because it does not fit the accepted narrative. According to the media, the good guys belong to the National Council of Churches which is an organization of the mainline and left-leaning Protestant churches and the bad guys belong to the National Association of Evangelicals which are the conservative and right-leaning Protestant churches. Evangelical Christians are characterized as being intolerant, supporting white supremacy, hate gays and lesbians, are “warmongers” and hate immigrants. By the way we are portrayed in the media, it is no wonder that so many in our younger generations are now anti-Christian. So let’s now shed some light on an inconvenient truth. The following is the statement on “Social Justice” from the conservative National Association of Evangelicals:

Jesus summed up God’s law by commanding us to love God with all that we are and to love our neighbors as ourselves. Matthew 22:35-40 By deed and parable, Jesus taught that anyone in need is our neighbor. Luke 10:29-37 God created all people in his image. The inherent dignity that rich and poor alike possess leads us to share our resources with one another - particularly with those in need. God identifies with the poor and says that those who “are kind to the poor lend to the Lord” while those who oppress the poor “show contempt for their Maker.” Psalm 146:5-9; Proverbs 19:17; Proverbs 14:31 Jesus said that those who do not care for the needy and the imprisoned demonstrate by such lack of action that they are not his followers. Matthew 25:31-46 The vulnerable include not only the poor, but those with less power, such as women, children, the aged, persons with disabilities, immigrants, refugees, minorities, the persecuted, prisoners and victims of human trafficking. Moreover, God measures societies by how they treat the vulnerable and powerless. His prophets call his people to create just and righteous societies. Isaiah 10:1-4; Isaiah 58:3-12; Jeremiah 5:26-29; Jeremiah 22:13-19; Amos 2:6-7; Amos 4:1-3; Amos 5:10-15 The prophetic teaching insists on both a fair legal system, which does not favor either the rich or the poor, and a fair economic system, which does not tolerate perpetual poverty. It also forbids usury and predatory lending that harms the poor. Exodus 22:25; Deuteronomy 15:7-11; Ezekiel 18:7-9 Economic justice includes the mitigation of suffering, the promotion of equality of opportunity and the restoration of wholeness. The Bible condemns gross disparities in opportunity and outcome that cause suffering and perpetuate poverty. God wants people to have access to productive resources, so they can care for their economic needs and contribute to their community. For example, children need a high-quality education in order to fully develop their God-given talents. Access to proper nutrition, shelter and health care are also important ingredients in helping people transcend poverty. Our social safety net must aim to provide opportunity and restore people to self-sufficiency. Adequate funding for food, shelter and health care should be maintained so that those who cannot care for their families and themselves receive the support they need. We urge Christians who work in the political realm to shape wise laws pertaining to the creation of wealth, wages, education, taxation, immigration, consumer protection and health care that will protect those trapped in poverty and empower them to improve their circumstances. Since family systems are also important for nurturing healthy individuals and overcoming poverty, public policy should support families and marriages. Governments should hold parents responsible for the maintenance of their families, enforcing the collection of child-support payments, and should protect family members from physical and sexual abuse. Immigration policies should prioritize family unity and avoid separating families by deportation or detention. Criminal justice reform should consider how over- incarceration breaks up families. We further believe that care for the vulnerable should extend beyond our national borders. American diplomacy and trade policies impact the poor. We urge our leaders to negotiate trade agreements that broadly benefit those of modest means while protecting human rights and the environment. We also believe effective aid and other initiatives for the reduction of global poverty should be a central concern of American foreign policy. We support strategies that encourage honesty in government, correct unfair socioeconomic structures, empower the poor, promote local entrepreneurship and grassroots economic development, protect refugees, and welcome immigrants. Government should continue to partner with effective international aid agencies, including those that are faith based. In many parts of the world, extreme poverty, disease, famine, environmental degradation, persecution, civil war, and weak or corrupt government create the conditions in which large populations become vulnerable. We support Christian agencies and government policies that promote healthy communities and just, democratic structures. 

Evangelical Christians are often attacked by both those in mainline liberal churches and those in the media for a lack of commitment to the economically disadvantaged and the vulnerable in our society. But the “inconvenient truth” is that the above social justice statement from our Nation’s conservative churches sounds like it’s from the liberal church! That’s because it’s simply what all Christians should believe. It is because of statements such as this one on social justice that New Hope Family Church and New Hope Ministries have always been a member of the National Association of Evangelicals. 

* Cooperative Congressional Election Study (CCES), which surveys over 64,000 Americans every two years

ARE YOU AN EVANGELICAL? 

You are if you believe in...

1) The reality of the Trinity. 

2) The deity of Jesus Christ. 

3) The virgin birth. 

4) His sinless life and in His miracles. 

5) The bodily resurrection of Jesus. 

6) The infallibility and authority of the Bible for all matters of faith and religious practice. 

7) The fallenness of all humanity. 

8) Salvation provided by Jesus through His suffering, death and resurrection. 

9) The necessity of personal repentance and acceptance of Jesus. 

10) The importance of a devotional life and growth in holiness and discipleship. 

11) The urgency of evangelism and social transformation. 

12) The return of Jesus Christ to judge the world and establish the final, full rule and reign of God. 

If you can say “YES and AMEN” to these twelve timeless, apostolic, classic and historic Biblical teachings, no matter what church you attend, you are Evangelical.