Four Corners Feast

    The Pledge Of Allegiance: a Nation under God? (My original paper on this subject can be found in the here . This updated version includes more information and I believe, makes a better case) The times are uproarious, we are divided as a nation and have turned into fighting factions. Gay vs. straight. Democrat vs. Rebublican. Christian vs. Atheist. Pro-Choice vs. Pro-life vs. Abolitionist. We are far from being one nation, and far from being “under God.”  How did we get here? How long did it take? Of course there have been many steps on the path to our destruction as a Nation and it would probably fill a book. Maybe a series of books.  One small piece of the puzzle may very well be the ubiquitous Pledge Of Allegiance. From early in their formative years, children are taught to say these “timeless” and simple words:  “I pledge allegiance, to the flag of the United States of America;  and to the Republic for which it stands, one nation, under God,  ...

  Postmillennialism in Genesis Those who affirm a hopeful eschatology, that is Postmillennialism, are quick to point to Genesis chapter 1 as a text to reveal the original purpose of man: And God blessed them. And God said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth and subdue it, and have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over every living thing that moves on the earth. (Gen 1:28) While this is a critical text known as the Dominion Mandate, and is restated in Genesis 9 with Noah, it ultimately finds direction and driving force in the Great Commission of Matthew 28. Yet, there is more to be found in Genesis.  Others have been able to point toward the end of Genesis as another proof text: The scepter shall not depart from Judah, nor the ruler’s staff from between his feet, until tribute comes to him; and to him shall be the obedience of the peoples. (Gen 49:10) This is a blessing bestowed upon Judah in the final days of Jacob's li...

  The 10 Theses of Biblical Law: 1. Since the Fall, it has always been unlawful to use the law of God in hopes of establishing one’s own personal merit and justification, in contrast or complement to salvation by way of promise and faith; commitment to obedience is but the lifestyle of faith, a token of gratitude for God’s redeeming grace.  2. The word of the Lord is the sole, supreme, and unchallengeable standard for the actions and attitudes of all men in all areas of life; this word naturally includes God’s moral directives (law).  3. Our obligation to keep the law of God cannot be judged by any extra scriptural standard, such as whether its specific requirements (when properly interpreted) are congenial to past traditions or modern feelings and practices.  4. We should presume that Old Testament standing laws continue to be morally binding in the New Testament, unless they are rescinded or modified by further revelation.  5. In regard to the Old Testament l...

The Public Dragon There is a monster in our land,  looming dark and grim. It's wretched mouth is wide agape,  It's fiery eyes are dim. A dragon, it could well be called It's belly filled with children. It lives in every city fair, It doesn't care to be hidden.. Decades of feasting has made it swell, Gorged with the minds of girls and boys. It rarely give back what it has taken, And it's feasting makes no noise. It's razor teeth are made with gold, That every one of us has paid. It's throat the fastest way to hell, All in the name of a "good grade." All these children are not dead, They've undergone a transformation. It's their souls that are in danger, For they are on the path to damnation. Deceit, sex and humanism, Is the gospel that is taught. These children never stand a chance,  Their futures left to rot. Christians offer their children too, We're just as much to blame. When will we ever learn the truth? This isn't some kind of ...

  Masks A mask isn't bad, not all on its own, They have many uses its true, Lots of people wear them, even when alone, Its applications are really not few.   An actor on the stage, rehearsing his lines, Astronauts way up in the sky, A man underground, digging coal in the mines, A surgeon cutting into an eye.   Someone reading the lines of an ancient scroll, Men cutting stone for a home, A diver swimming the waters of a warm atoll, Beekeepers taking gold from the comb.   There's even a time, when deadly sickness will spread, A mask on your face will be good, But that time isn't now, we've all been misled, From the beginning we should have withstood.   Now our ‘lords’ have a taste of absolute power, Their tyrannically fueled "free trial", They sit crafting mandates from their ivory tower, They won't stop till they've masked every smile.   So many have bowed, wearing the mask as a label, Exposing their will as a trifle, Eagerly reciting the media’s tired ...

  Forms of legalism. It is critical to understand that legalism and obedience to the Law are not equal. Biblically speaking, legalism isn't using the law, but the wrong use of the law. Just like antinomianism (anti-law), legalism can take many forms.   Justification based on works of merit or obedience to the Law This is the error of the Pharisees and Pelagianism (Humans can obtain perfection without divine grace). The semi-pelagian view that grace mixed with works can justify (Roman Catholics, Mormonism) would also fall into this category. Response: All men are sinners and have broken God's law (Rom 3:10, 23). Because of this, the Law cannot save them, it can only condemn them as lawbreakers who deserve the full penalty under the Law. (Rom 3:19-20, Gal 3:10) The only hope for transgressors of God's Law is salvation by grace in the work of Jesus Christ.   Stressing the letter of the Law, while neglecting the spirit in which it was given This attitude usually s...