UI – Part 432b – Preserving Christianity (cont-d) (2 of 2)

(Continued from two days ago…Radical Islam and Christians and Jews as targets.  Secularists.)

Vampires and Crosses.

This is a reprint from an article titled (“Vampires and Crosses”) as the head of this paragraph. The author Fred Cross. (Read The article).

“Vampire stories tell us, for example, that any of us can have great power if only we are willing to prey on others. Feed off the blood of others and great power will be yours. This is demonstrably true….

The stories also tell us that there’s a downside to this predatory choice. You become a creature of the night, unable to stand in the light of day. And crosses will confound you. Some mistakenly think that this is because the cross is a holy symbol, imbued with religious power. But this is wrong. The symbol, like the thing itself, is powerless. And that’s the point. That is why vampires can’t tolerate it.

Most vampires don’t believe in the cross, but that hardly matters. It’s the idea of the thing that gives them fits. The cross confronts vampires with their opposite — with the rejection of power and its single-minded pursuit. It suggests that no one is to be treated as prey — not even an enemy. The idea of the cross, in other words, suggests that vampires have it wrong, that they have it backwards, in fact, and that those others they regard as prey are actually, somehow, winning.

This notion is incomprehensible for vampires. The one thing they’re certain of, the thing that drives them and tells them who they are and how the world works and that they’ve got it all figured out is that the key to immortality is in choosing to be the predator rather than the prey. The idea that this might be wrong is so befuddling, so contradictory to everything they have chosen to be that it forces them to recoil. They can’t get past it.”

Consider how applicable this commentary is to Islamists and the liberal left secularist and atheist. One recoils at the mention of Christ’s divine nature, the other that God is as the cross.  This is the most poignant sentence, “The idea of the cross, in other words, suggests that vampires have it wrong, that they have it backwards.” I feel that way, the Muslims, the atheists, the secularists have it wrong. They have it backwards. But they like to prey on others. They seek power over the powerless.

Consider TSA

Neither a Christian nor Jew was responsible for the creation of a costly imposition on our economies and freedoms as the Transportation Security Administration (TSA).  A radical Jew or Christian is not like a radical Islamist.  The radical Jew or Christian is not following their texts. They are deviating from the script of the Torah and/or the Bible.  For each, God is in control and the judge.  For the Christian the New Testament is a text that has no call for fight or for war.  Not so for the Islamist. They are following their texts to the letter.  Kill the infidel.  Fight them wherever they are until the world is All for Allah.

Taking a Chance

Between the Islamists and the secularists what chance does the Christian or Jew have? Even the UN is against them it seems.  But I believe there will be a revolt.  People will come to their senses and begin again to see the hand of God in the world around them.  In the color of the grass, the bloom of a rose, the face of a newborn, the rain and the sunshine, mountains and oceans, jungles and deserts, the make-up of the Human cell, and the ability of man to make scientific advances as needed to have the world continue to survive.  Science and the Bible are not exclusive of each other.  The Bible provided humans, just the humans, the charge and the ability to subdue the earth and to care for the inhabitants.  The gift of intellect cannot be ignored.

There will be a return to churches and synagogues to learn and show respect for the Lord. The power is in the cross, as is humility. As congregations grow a greater body of resistance to encroachment by evil forces will grow. A volunteer army for God will bring God into the light for the Muslim and the atheist as they see the gold in the mines of freedom’s lands.  Where you are free you need to be thankful, and God is the one to thank and your worship center is the place to make your presence and voices known and heard.

The Bible has a problem with homosexuals, but they have always existed, at least for some an orientation to have sex with their own sex. However it is not just homosexuals that are sinners.  We are all sinners. Condemnation for sin does not rest with the homosexual alone.  We must all accept that we are sinners.  The Bible has a problem with all sinners, from the murderer, the adulterer, the homosexual, to the liar.  That is the Bad News of the New Testament.  Admit it.  There are psychological as well as physical reasons for preferring the opposite sex, but not necessarily a mistake of God.  God clearly intended a man and woman to marry, as a union, to have children.  Procreation keeps the world going. Other than via adoption two women or two men cannot achieve what God purposed man and women to do.  It is a fact.  But oddly enough God uses sinners to help accomplish his objectives.  Take Trump.

An Awakening to God’s Grace 

The world needs a leader like Martin Luther or Calvin, a person with charismatic qualities, knowledgeable and able to vocalize and inspire. The Christian community must arise from the malaise it is in. The secularists who were once Christian or never Christians need to return and embrace the truth of the Bible. The truth of the Bible doesn’t suggest that the whole world must be Christian.  What the whole world needs is to be is free, to be humane, to be respectful of others, and to have a compassion for their fellow man to be treated equally and fairly.  I have atheist friends that are articulate, loving, caring and respectful of others.  They are good, principled, people. We may not agree with each other as to what we believe, but we do agree on sanity and reason and equal rights and liberty and the right to be safe and secure in our homes, airports, trains and planes and automobiles.  We have a right to differ, to discuss, to debate, to have a voice and an opinion without others walking out or protesting using force, ugly rhetoric, personal attacks, and empty defenses. Everyone needs to listen to each other.  Even if they do not agree, something may be learned.  God will always be present whether that is your wish or not. He is there.

But so too is Satan. Choose your guide.

Believing in a life eternal is common to Muslim, Jew and Christian. How that is achieved differs. An eternal life may have no meaning to an atheist or a humanist. I am not the one to argue they are missing a great deal, including the hope and joy of faith in Christ. Their loss is a concern, but not a personal goal of mine to debate or restore.   Christians pray for those that do not enjoy the love of God or a relationship with God.  They want for others the beauty of what they see. They pray for family members, friends, neighbors and even enemies to have what they have, the joy and hope when you have faith in Christ. It is only by living a life as exemplified by Christ that enables others to see what is possible. Those not in such a relationship are never left behind and can discover the benefits, the forgiveness of sins, themselves. That relationship is not a mystery. It is readily discoverable in the pages from Genesis to Revelation. The Word is the Lord.

Trying to convince people faith in Christ is the only way to God, the eternal kingdom, is difficult. Self-motivation is essential. Just as a fat person would benefit by a major weight loss, for health and reasons of self-esteem, or for family and personal relationships, they cannot be forced. They either reach a point where they too see it makes sense for them to diet or they stay fat and avoid criticism, make excuses, or seek like minded fatties to associate with.  For those without faith they can opt to read and research, as would be the case for the Bible, or not. It is a choice. God chooses. But you can decide. Taking the steps to lose weight requires discipline and dedication. A mentor or professional guide is helpful.  A study of the Bible, taking time to understand the grace of God, the gift, may or may not work for you. It did, though, for me.  Being objective and open minded, not approaching a review with a fixed mindset, willing to learn, will produce surprising outcomes. I discovered the reality of the Resurrection. That was as a bolt of lightening that cleared my head and open my eyes to the truth of the Bible, the New Testament especially.

Harmony of Purpose

From the Bible the worldview can be corrected and the lens clearly revealing peace on earth can be restored and used to bring people together, to unify, and to have peace. Moderate Muslims will have to join the peace march and wave placards that demand apostasy laws be abolished. The world must mitigate the chaos that reigns and yield to sensibilities that are common to every human. We all want to be safe and secure. But we all must contribute to this effort. Through the Word that path has been laid, as a follower of Christ or just as people willing to acknowledge universal human rights and apply the moral and ethical values and principles outlined in the text. It is a worldview for mankind and a way for Christians. Use the Word as the valuable resource it is, whether a follower or not. Just apply Divine Law!

The leader that surfaces will have the ability to relate to the world the value of the Bible, the truth of the Bible, to everyone. The leader will not be purposed to make Christians of non-believers or proselytize to grow the body of Christians. The person will make clear universal human rights represent a pathway to a peaceful pluralistic world. It was Christ that professed the equality of all, Jew or Gentile, white or black, Semitic (Arab or Jew), oriental, or occidental.  He gave advice that is of significant value to all of us.

Not only will Christianity be preserved. So too will mankind. The apocalyptic view of the Muslim is not theirs to guarantee. Leave that to God. Meanwhile let’s live side by side in harmony. Give peace a chance!

Grace and Peace