I know that a lot of people don't like it, but we have to face it: Donald Trump is a lot better option for a President than Hillary Clinton.
The past month has been horrendous! It all seemed to have started with a shooting at a gay night club in Orlando, Florida. A man who was alleged to have been a gay Muslim ran in, shot the place up, and then our President, Barack Obama, along with the Democratic nominee, Hillary Clinton, opted to tell the country that the reason the shooting happened was because of evangelical Christians and guns. Terror attacks have also taken place throughout the world, particularly in Europe and the Middle East. The Muslim Terrorist kill count for the month of Ramadan/June/Gay pride month, exceeded 300 and we are made to believe that this was the fault of gun owning Christian conservatives who support Donald Trump, as well as Donald Trump himself. Not long afterwards, our country has been devastated by a series of police shootings. What started off as apparent instances of police racism later turned into the execution of innocent police officers.
After 2 black men were shot dead by police officers (and as more details come out, it seems as though the instances had nothing to do with racism and may have been justified), 8 police officers with no connection to those 2 events were murdered by black radical racists who have links to black radical racist groups, of which 2 have links to the Nation of Islam. Once again, our President and Hillary Clinton more or less blame the cops. Obama's tone has finally been starting to change, but why? I don't trust the President any more than I can tolerate him (which is shorter than I can throw him). Our President reacts according to political expediency. He realizes that condemning police officers, now that there have been three shootings with 8 officers murdered, it might not help his legacy nor the one he has endorsed for this next election cycle, Hillary Clinton. Time and time again, Hillary and Barack find ways to blame cops, Christians, talk radio, or guns instead of pointing the blame at the killers or the ones who truly influence their fits of violence, liberal progressives.
Trump has been ripped by the media, democrats, and even some republicans for not being politically correct. But he is correct in asserting that he doesn't have time to be politically correct when Christians are being decapitated in the Middle East. Might he also add that he doesn't have time to be politically correct while police officers are being shot here in America? This has been a big part of his platform at the 2016 Republican Convention.
Don't be fooled by Obama or Clinton. They love this violence because they turn every crisis into a platform for policy. These people are radical left wing extremists and the people committing these acts of violence share their ideological conviction; make no mistake about that.
We can continue to be nice to the democrats and pretend they are no different from you or I. But let's face it, all evidence suggests that they don't give a rip about this country, its people, or the Constitution. These people are hell bent on securing power and wealth and will do whatever is necessary to make sure that happens. We don't want to admit their are people so evil in this world...that's exactly what they want you to think.
Truth be told, they don't think they are evil. They don't believe in evil. Why else would Hillary be an admirer of a man who dedicated his book to Lucifer? We are talking about people with extreme ideological convictions that they will never forfeit.
Sure, Trump's not perfect. He's rough around the edges and he's not a good public speaker. But, darn it, he's not Hillary and he's not a left-wing extremist ideologue who sympathizes with predators whose sole purpose is to murder innocent Americans. There was a day and age where such rhetoric would be considered treason. Today, we call it an acceptance speech. God help America.
Thursday, July 21, 2016
Sunday, June 26, 2016
The Litmus Test of a Genuine Church
There has been a lot of talk in the past about what constitutes genuine faith inside of Christianity. Denominations have battled it out for quite some time concerning what it is that truly marks the faith of not only believers, but of entire denominations. One of the biggest complaints skeptics express against Christianity is that there is so much divide and a lot of the divisions lead to wars that cost people their lives. What is it that marks genuine faith inside of a Church denomination?
Let's first establish what it is that marks genuine faith inside of a believer. Frankly, I think that the most credible source for understanding this topic in today's context would be Ray Comfort's ministry, The Way of the Master. Where many people will say that faith/belief marks genuine conversion and others say works are what marks a true believer's life, Ray Comfort contests that Repentance is what marks genuine faith in Jesus Christ. I think that there is some depth to this teaching, but to simplify it by avoiding What comes next? someone who hears the Gospel message must acknowledge his or her sins, admit their guilt, turn from sin, confess Jesus as Lord and Savior, and follow him as he or she forsakes a sin cursed lifestyle. Once again, I think there is some depth to this, but I can't find anything I can disagree with regarding this teaching. Regarding denominations, I think it is a little trickier.
There are so many other doctrines that confound what genuine faith ought to look like. Let me rattle off a list of doctrines that have historically muddied the waters in relation to faith: Baptism, Communion, Tongues, Signs and Wonders, Snake Handling, Worship Style, Baptism of the Holy Spirit, Divorce, Gay Marriage, Abortion, Personal Holiness, Procreation, Polygamy, Biblical Authority, Biblical Interpretation, Eschatology (Understanding the End of Days), Predestination, Free Will, Authority in the Church, Modern Day Prophecies, and the list could go on for quite a while. The majority of denominations, according to my understanding, have some sort of a defining characteristic that they expect to be exemplified through individuals in order to acknowledge that their faith is genuine. Not everyone can be right, so how do we know what denomination is right?
To begin, I don't think that churches that claim exclusivity are necessarily doomed to condemnation if they are wrong. A question that recently arose on the internet got me thinking about this topic a little more in depth than what I had in the past and helped to connect some dots, as I thought about its answer. The root question was, "Do Christians and Muslims worship the same God?" My immediate response was "No." But then a naughty boy followed the question up with, "Why is it always about Muslims? Why don't you ever question whether Jews and Catholics worship the same God as Christians?" That really got me thinking. Do Christians worship the same God as Jews and Catholics?
Concerning Jews, specifically, I used to think, "Of course they worship the same God as Christians. After all, we share the same Old Testament" (Not that Jews call it the Old Testament). But as I read Romans 9:30-32, it became clear that we do not:
"What then shall we say? That the Gentiles, who did not pursue righteousness, have obtained it, a righteousness that is by faith; but the people of Israel, who pursued the law as the way of righteousness, have not attained their goal. Why not? Because they pursued it not by faith but as if it were by works. They stumbled over the stumbling stone."
I think this makes it clear that Jews and Christians do not worship the same God. The Gentiles that became Christians placed their faith in Jesus. Righteousness is what gives us the ability to enter into God's presence, but mankind is inherently unrighteous and unable to enter into God's presence because of sin. The Jews relied upon their own works to make them righteous before God and refused to place their faith in Jesus. Jesus fulfilled the Law of the Jews, given to them by God, and cleansed those who would place their faith in him. Without faith in Jesus, there is no salvation.
Make your own conclusions concerning what I am getting at here, but let me sum it up the best that I can, briefly. There are many denominations with bad theology. No matter how bad of theology (within reason) that a denomination might have, if that denomination teaches that Jesus Christ died for your sins and rose from the dead and that faith in him ensures eternal life (despite all of the particulars) I believe such a denomination is genuine. They might condemn some of the doctrines inside of your church but that does not undermine the reality that their denomination recognizes Jesus as the Savior of the World. I believe that there is depth to this teaching that might exclude some of the denominations/sects within Christianity, but as far as I can tell, faith in Jesus as the One True God, is the litmus test to determine whether or not a church denomination has genuine faith.
Let's first establish what it is that marks genuine faith inside of a believer. Frankly, I think that the most credible source for understanding this topic in today's context would be Ray Comfort's ministry, The Way of the Master. Where many people will say that faith/belief marks genuine conversion and others say works are what marks a true believer's life, Ray Comfort contests that Repentance is what marks genuine faith in Jesus Christ. I think that there is some depth to this teaching, but to simplify it by avoiding What comes next? someone who hears the Gospel message must acknowledge his or her sins, admit their guilt, turn from sin, confess Jesus as Lord and Savior, and follow him as he or she forsakes a sin cursed lifestyle. Once again, I think there is some depth to this, but I can't find anything I can disagree with regarding this teaching. Regarding denominations, I think it is a little trickier.
There are so many other doctrines that confound what genuine faith ought to look like. Let me rattle off a list of doctrines that have historically muddied the waters in relation to faith: Baptism, Communion, Tongues, Signs and Wonders, Snake Handling, Worship Style, Baptism of the Holy Spirit, Divorce, Gay Marriage, Abortion, Personal Holiness, Procreation, Polygamy, Biblical Authority, Biblical Interpretation, Eschatology (Understanding the End of Days), Predestination, Free Will, Authority in the Church, Modern Day Prophecies, and the list could go on for quite a while. The majority of denominations, according to my understanding, have some sort of a defining characteristic that they expect to be exemplified through individuals in order to acknowledge that their faith is genuine. Not everyone can be right, so how do we know what denomination is right?
To begin, I don't think that churches that claim exclusivity are necessarily doomed to condemnation if they are wrong. A question that recently arose on the internet got me thinking about this topic a little more in depth than what I had in the past and helped to connect some dots, as I thought about its answer. The root question was, "Do Christians and Muslims worship the same God?" My immediate response was "No." But then a naughty boy followed the question up with, "Why is it always about Muslims? Why don't you ever question whether Jews and Catholics worship the same God as Christians?" That really got me thinking. Do Christians worship the same God as Jews and Catholics?
Concerning Jews, specifically, I used to think, "Of course they worship the same God as Christians. After all, we share the same Old Testament" (Not that Jews call it the Old Testament). But as I read Romans 9:30-32, it became clear that we do not:
"What then shall we say? That the Gentiles, who did not pursue righteousness, have obtained it, a righteousness that is by faith; but the people of Israel, who pursued the law as the way of righteousness, have not attained their goal. Why not? Because they pursued it not by faith but as if it were by works. They stumbled over the stumbling stone."
I think this makes it clear that Jews and Christians do not worship the same God. The Gentiles that became Christians placed their faith in Jesus. Righteousness is what gives us the ability to enter into God's presence, but mankind is inherently unrighteous and unable to enter into God's presence because of sin. The Jews relied upon their own works to make them righteous before God and refused to place their faith in Jesus. Jesus fulfilled the Law of the Jews, given to them by God, and cleansed those who would place their faith in him. Without faith in Jesus, there is no salvation.
Make your own conclusions concerning what I am getting at here, but let me sum it up the best that I can, briefly. There are many denominations with bad theology. No matter how bad of theology (within reason) that a denomination might have, if that denomination teaches that Jesus Christ died for your sins and rose from the dead and that faith in him ensures eternal life (despite all of the particulars) I believe such a denomination is genuine. They might condemn some of the doctrines inside of your church but that does not undermine the reality that their denomination recognizes Jesus as the Savior of the World. I believe that there is depth to this teaching that might exclude some of the denominations/sects within Christianity, but as far as I can tell, faith in Jesus as the One True God, is the litmus test to determine whether or not a church denomination has genuine faith.
Wednesday, June 8, 2016
The Death of Harambe
The death of Harambe the Gorilla has exposed a very interesting trend in the attitudes of humans throughout the United States. Although I will say that my opinion about the whole thing is probably the majority opinion, there are an alarming number of people that think that the boy who fell into the pen with the ape should have been left to die! Others, of a more naive disposition, believed it was unjust to shoot Harambe to death because he was not harming the child...so they perceived.
There is a petition circulating on the internet where 500,000 people have signed their desire to see Justice for Harambe. Although I understand the heartbreak people have experienced at the destruction of an incredible animal, Harambe was an animal. This little boy was created in the image of God and our priority as humans would be to preserve and protect his life. In terms of justice, the only ones robbed of it was the zoo itself as it was robbed of one of its most valuable assets. Its status in relation to humans is no higher than that of an ox or a dog. Thus, as property, the zoo deserves some sort of compensation for their loss, although they will never receive it.
The Bible says "...God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them" (Genesis 1:27). The value of human life is priceless. How can we say that this animal, being created without the ability to reason as people have, could have protected this child? How could anyone say that this boy and his parents should have to suffer because a stupid mistake that took only seconds to accomplish? It takes a cold cold heart to concede that this little boys life was not worth that of one dead gorilla.
It is easy to watch a video where we know the outcome of the situation and say, "This should have been done," or "That should have been done." Could you imagine actually witnessing this event before you knew what was going to happen? It would have been petrifying terror! And as a parent, even more so! If we escalate the situation to a personal level, I couldn't imagine the type of dread that would blanket over me as I watched my little boy being dragged across the water by this massive and immensely powerful creature. Frankly, I would expect to be dead in a matter of minutes because I would not be able to bear the sight of this monster harming my son.
I love animals. I think they are wonderful and that God has gifted them with incredible abilities. I would prefer that both the boy and the ape would have been spared from this horrendous incident. Unfortunately, there was no compromising in this situation. Either the gorilla or the boy was going to be carried out of this situation in a body bag. Shame on you, if you believe it should have been the boy.
Monday, June 6, 2016
Humility of Christ and the Humility of Man (Philippians)
"who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped"~Philippians 2:6
"Not that I have already obtained this or am already perfect, but I press on to make it my own, because Christ Jesus has made me his own."~Philippians 3:12
There is no doubt that Philippians chapter 3 is outlining the narrow road that a believer must walk to attain salvation. It is intimidating to read that Paul himself, one of the most amazing men ever to walk the earth, did not consider himself to be at the point that he had attained salvation. The road he outlines sounds very much like a works based salvation and if Paul had not achieved this security by the time he was thrown into prison and wrote the letter to the Philippians, who can have any security that they have attained the gift of eternal life? Might I suggest that you can?
The other day as I was reading through Philippians in my ESV Bible, after having read chapter 2 and continuing onward to chapter 3, I noticed something that I had never noticed before. There was a parallel between the position of Christ to God, in chapter two, with the position of mankind to Christ in chapter 3.
The verse I have listed above, Philippians 2:6, is saying that Jesus did not exercise his full authority as God while he walked among his disciples and this was considered an act of humility on Jesus' behalf. After that, it states what Jesus did to fulfill his obedience to God including his becoming a man, becoming a servant, and suffering to the point of death.
Philippians 3 starts off with Paul outlining some points of which he could boast but quickly transitions to how he considers these qualifications as rubbish in comparison to the glory of knowing Jesus Christ. This glory that Paul describes that mankind works to attain is parallel to the glory described in chapter 2 that Christ attained through his obedience to the Father. Our obedience, likewise will aid us in attaining an incredible glory in our resurrected state.
Now, what I am observing is not that the resurrection is something that must be earned but the degree of glory that brings us closest to God in the resurrection. Where do I get that from?
Philippians 3:12 ends by stating that Christ Jesus has made Paul his own. Verse 16 states that we ought to hold on to what we have attained. Where Jesus did not hold his position as God over us, we as Christians are not to hold the status of being a Christian as a means of righteousness for ourselves.
Before God, we are made righteous in Christ. He has already paid our debt. But as grateful servants of Christ, we are to live our lives as people who joyfully desire to repay our debt to God despite the fact we can never repay it. Let me reiterate what I am trying to say:
Though being gifted with the Holy Spirit, we ought not count the Spirit as our own righteousness. Instead, we should regard ourselves as nothing, owing God everything for the all surpassing glory that is guaranteed to the servants of Christ. So that on that day, we would not live in God's presence merely because we confessed our sins, but that we lived a life of full repentance and righteousness as though it was our debt and entry fee to heaven. Praise God, through Jesus Christ, that we can already claim sonship through his sacrifice.
Let me know your thoughts.
"Not that I have already obtained this or am already perfect, but I press on to make it my own, because Christ Jesus has made me his own."~Philippians 3:12
There is no doubt that Philippians chapter 3 is outlining the narrow road that a believer must walk to attain salvation. It is intimidating to read that Paul himself, one of the most amazing men ever to walk the earth, did not consider himself to be at the point that he had attained salvation. The road he outlines sounds very much like a works based salvation and if Paul had not achieved this security by the time he was thrown into prison and wrote the letter to the Philippians, who can have any security that they have attained the gift of eternal life? Might I suggest that you can?
The other day as I was reading through Philippians in my ESV Bible, after having read chapter 2 and continuing onward to chapter 3, I noticed something that I had never noticed before. There was a parallel between the position of Christ to God, in chapter two, with the position of mankind to Christ in chapter 3.
The verse I have listed above, Philippians 2:6, is saying that Jesus did not exercise his full authority as God while he walked among his disciples and this was considered an act of humility on Jesus' behalf. After that, it states what Jesus did to fulfill his obedience to God including his becoming a man, becoming a servant, and suffering to the point of death.
Philippians 3 starts off with Paul outlining some points of which he could boast but quickly transitions to how he considers these qualifications as rubbish in comparison to the glory of knowing Jesus Christ. This glory that Paul describes that mankind works to attain is parallel to the glory described in chapter 2 that Christ attained through his obedience to the Father. Our obedience, likewise will aid us in attaining an incredible glory in our resurrected state.
Now, what I am observing is not that the resurrection is something that must be earned but the degree of glory that brings us closest to God in the resurrection. Where do I get that from?
Philippians 3:12 ends by stating that Christ Jesus has made Paul his own. Verse 16 states that we ought to hold on to what we have attained. Where Jesus did not hold his position as God over us, we as Christians are not to hold the status of being a Christian as a means of righteousness for ourselves.
Before God, we are made righteous in Christ. He has already paid our debt. But as grateful servants of Christ, we are to live our lives as people who joyfully desire to repay our debt to God despite the fact we can never repay it. Let me reiterate what I am trying to say:
Though being gifted with the Holy Spirit, we ought not count the Spirit as our own righteousness. Instead, we should regard ourselves as nothing, owing God everything for the all surpassing glory that is guaranteed to the servants of Christ. So that on that day, we would not live in God's presence merely because we confessed our sins, but that we lived a life of full repentance and righteousness as though it was our debt and entry fee to heaven. Praise God, through Jesus Christ, that we can already claim sonship through his sacrifice.
Let me know your thoughts.
Saturday, May 14, 2016
Predestined for Eternity: Hope for the Church
It brings me great pleasure to present to you my new book, Predestined for Eternity. This book has been a journey, as have my other works thus far. In this book I seek to answer questions regarding the nature of Predestination and Free Will. Within the mainstream church, we see these issues as divisive. But within the scope of God's Word, they should bring a sense of wonder, awe, and humility that results in unity.
I believe it is foolish to dismiss the reality of either Predestination or Free Will when reflecting upon God's grace upon human kind. In Acts 17:26-27, we see both referred to by the Apostle Paul (albeit, not by name), "And he made from one man every nation of mankind to live on all the face of the earth, having determined allotted periods and the boundaries of their dwelling place, that they should seek God, in the hope that they might feel their way toward him and find him. Yet he is not far from each one of us."
Ravi Zacharias has pointed out that the Bible frequently speaks about these two aspects of salvation side-by-side. He refers to it as God's Sovereignty and Man's Responsibility. If God did not judge, he would not be entirely sovereign. But if mankind were not responsible for some aspect of salvation, they could not be judged. And yet the Scriptures tell us that everyone is without excuse. When we deny God, we are gravely responsible for rejecting God's only Son. It is on this basis that we are condemned. But without God's Spirit, we would be unable to receive Jesus as Lord and Savior.
Most people see predestination and free will as being mutually exclusive concepts. In Predestined for Eternity: The Truth about Predestination and Free Will, you will learn that they work complimentary, one to the other, in a manner that secures God the maximum amount of glory.
Sunday, May 1, 2016
The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly of Zootopia
I have to start off by saying that Disney's Zootopia was another display of Disney's brilliance. It was a fun and entertaining movie that exhibited the type of originality that it seems only Disney is capable of delivering these days. So let's have a run down of what makes Zootopia Good, Bad, and Ugly.
The Good
You leave this movie feeling good. It is the story of a bunny who is trying to prove herself worthy of the police force of Zootopia. She's characterized as a small town girl with big dreams that will stop at nothing to fulfill those dreams. Along the way, people try to discourage her. Aside from wanting to prove herself, she believes she can genuinely serve the world by being a courageous and hardworking police officer.
There is an element of redemption for her co-star, Nick the Fox. Fox's are sneaky creatures that have a bad reputation. Nick grew up enduring the school of hard knocks and has given in to the stereotypes that label him as a dishonest, rotten, predatory scoundrel. Through his relationship with officer Hops (the main character) it is discovered that he has a good heart underneath his rough exterior.
The Bad
EVOLUTION!!! Does every kids movie have to start off with an evolutionary premise anymore? Perhaps it is more subtle in this movie, but for minds like mine that have been trained to spot such propaganda, it is dead obvious that evolution is driving force in the movie. It is mostly rooted in the reality that the predators used to be savages, but have now become civil. I await the day that evolution fulfills its destiny of becoming nothing more than a fairy tale that is only used to make sci fi and fantasy stories more interesting. As it is currently used, its employed as a mild form of brainwashing.
The Ugly
Something about Police Officers stereotyping animals according to their species and certain species justifying their ill behaviors according to what they are might make some people uncomfortable. I will also warn you that there is full blown animal nudity in this movie...like totally naked animals on a secret nudist reserve. Cover your eyes for this scene (It's actually quite comical). Also...implied inter-species relationship...I'm not going to spoil this right now but, again, it's a children's cartoon. So don't worry.
The movie is brilliant. I highly recommend it for families, although I would suggest that parents point out the evolutionary implications to their kids. It kept my two year old's attention for the whole movie, so you know it has to be good.
Creation And God
May 1, 2016 was a good day to reflect upon creation and its Creator.
Today at Gateway, we started a series on the Apostles Creed. The first part of the Creed, "I believe in God the Father Almighty, Creator of heaven and earth." As a result of this, the emphasis of the sermon by Pastor Adam Borsay was focused on the doctrine of God as the Creator.
Pastor Borsay did an excellent job of summing up the importance of this Church doctrine. Where others would have taken the route of preaching a message that focused on evidences for God, he focused on the sovereignty of God. Personally, I was pleasantly surprised by this take on this doctrine. With all of the controversy concerning where the universe came from, I expected something that addressed a multitude of evidences. Instead, we received a well-delivered message that assured us of God's sovereignty and control over the entire universe. Wow! It was a powerful message. It included a call to action to not only state our belief in God, but as our Sovereign Creator we should willfully and joyfully devote our time to him in whatever we do.
Later on May 1, Dr. Disilvestro from The Ohio State University spoke to the church concerning various evidences of creation. I was thoroughly pleased that several of those evidences (beginning of the universe, anthropic principle, and the complexity of living organisms) are also noted in my book 10 Irrefutable Proofs of Creation. The other two evidences were strictly Biblical: The Biblical Creation Account and the Resurrection of Jesus. These two were a good reminder that although the world has its form of wisdom, it is only in God's Word that we find truth. Disilvestro delivered his message in a gracious and professional manner.
Today rekindled my passion for this doctrine/debate once again. Check out the blog section on my webpage, www.williamhseng.com, and find out what I have to say on some of these topics!
Today at Gateway, we started a series on the Apostles Creed. The first part of the Creed, "I believe in God the Father Almighty, Creator of heaven and earth." As a result of this, the emphasis of the sermon by Pastor Adam Borsay was focused on the doctrine of God as the Creator.
Pastor Borsay did an excellent job of summing up the importance of this Church doctrine. Where others would have taken the route of preaching a message that focused on evidences for God, he focused on the sovereignty of God. Personally, I was pleasantly surprised by this take on this doctrine. With all of the controversy concerning where the universe came from, I expected something that addressed a multitude of evidences. Instead, we received a well-delivered message that assured us of God's sovereignty and control over the entire universe. Wow! It was a powerful message. It included a call to action to not only state our belief in God, but as our Sovereign Creator we should willfully and joyfully devote our time to him in whatever we do.
Later on May 1, Dr. Disilvestro from The Ohio State University spoke to the church concerning various evidences of creation. I was thoroughly pleased that several of those evidences (beginning of the universe, anthropic principle, and the complexity of living organisms) are also noted in my book 10 Irrefutable Proofs of Creation. The other two evidences were strictly Biblical: The Biblical Creation Account and the Resurrection of Jesus. These two were a good reminder that although the world has its form of wisdom, it is only in God's Word that we find truth. Disilvestro delivered his message in a gracious and professional manner.
Today rekindled my passion for this doctrine/debate once again. Check out the blog section on my webpage, www.williamhseng.com, and find out what I have to say on some of these topics!
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