My comments on Facebook concerning homosexuality.

Not sure there is much left to say, as Steve and Pete have done a pretty thorough job of debunking this aberrant lifestyle; which is to say, that anything that is aberrant, is, by definition, abnormal. The homosexual lifestyle is atypical, that in and of itself is a true departure, not only from what God has declared right and good, but also what society has generally accepted as wrong for countless centuries. However, as morals inevitably decline, and the focus on OUR rights as individuals (which Steve alludes to) takes precedence over and above God’s moral laws, the idea of being gratified, no matter the consequences, seems to grow exponentially.  It is symptomatic of a world spiraling out of control: a world gone mad!

Our base instincts tell us to do whatever makes us feel good. If we have no moral high ground that we aspire to, no God with whom we can agree with on such vitally important matters, and no Godly discernment (Holy Spirit) to give us guidance, then every evil imaginable becomes less and less harmful and wicked; and we adopt the idea that we are only put upon this earth for the purpose of self-pleasure. With such a lack of restraint, and a true ignorance and hatred for anything primordial, we only become emboldened to do even more horrific evil. 

All this to say: we don’t “LISTEN” to God. Every evil we commit is due to the fact that we don’t take God at His Word. This was the “original” sin that got us to where we are at today.

Here is God speaking to us from Scripture concerning this very subject, and here is the fallout for not taking Him at His Word:

“Do you not know that the wicked will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: Neither the sexually immoral nor idolaters nor adulterers nor male prostitutes nor homosexual offenders nor thieves nor the greedy nor drunkards nor slanderers nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God. And that is what some of you were. But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God. (NIV, 1st Corinthians 6:9-11).”

My thoughts on the death of Nelson Mandela.

My friend, Donna Pinazzo, recently asked me a very deep, penetrating question, “How much good did Nelson Mandela do?” My response to her was, “The only way to "rightly" assess and answer that question is through the lens of Scripture. We are to filter all our perceptions through the Bible and judge all things accordingly.” So if the Bible, God’s Word, is the standard by which all things are judged good or evil, we can be confident that God will give us the answer.

I think the answer can be found in the word emancipation, or more appropriately, the concept. The word emancipation is often used solely as a political term, and far less often in a biblical context. However, the idea is pretty broad and comprehensive, in content and application; and it is certainly biblical at its very core. Here is one of several definitions: The state of being thus set free; liberation; used of slaves, minors, of a person from prejudices, of the mind from superstition, of a nation from tyranny or subjection.

In Biblical parlance, emancipation means to be set free from the slavery of sin; to be set free from the inevitable torture of hell; to be set free from the trappings of this world, and set free to honor and bring glory to God. That is a whole lot more freedom offered to mankind than a mere “temporal/ephemeral" freedom from tyranny. That is precisely why Nelson Mandel’s brand of freedom is an EPIC fail, and only a temporary reprieve from the hauntings and horrific consequences of Tyrants. This is all the more reason to reach people with the Gospel message. It is of utter importance to a true, lasting, and eternal emancipation. Had Nelson Mandela concentrated on the needs of the eternal soul, instead of the needs of the flesh, I would not hesitate to call him a hero, that aside: he never, to my knowledge, anyway, took the true torch of freedom (the Gospel message) to the world-at-large, and more specifically, to the neediest of all men: his own kinsmen.

Nelson Mandela’s sickness is in a much broader realm, though. He didn’t merely have a light dalliance with abortion, pornography, or homosexuality, but set in motion, by passing laws that would fix a nations ETERNAL destiny. Those very symbols and actions of evil would grip a nation and cause lawlessness to garner a very strong foothold. Any leader has a profound effect upon the morality of a nation; and NM was no exception. Mandela’s approach was identical to the approach Erasmus took in confronting Martin Luther. Erasmus wanted a peace at any cost, while Luther wanted a peace according to the strict mandates and sound guidance of Scripture.

Nelson Mandela’s life’s work was of NO eternal consequence, whatsoever. All the things he may have accomplished during his lifetime, were an EPIC fail. He only managed to alleviate a very small fraction of human suffering, and possibly, according to various sources and reports, did equal in damage to blacks and whites along the way.

What says emancipation more succinctly than the Gospel message? Any other attempt to alleviate the sufferings of mankind, devoid of God's Word is simply self-aggrandizement.

Lastly, I believe this poem by C.T Studd has the final word.
.
“Two little lines I heard one day,
Traveling along life’s busy way;
Bringing conviction to my heart,
And from my mind would not depart;
Only one life, ’twill soon be past,
Only what’s done for Christ will last.

Only one life, yes only one,
Soon will its fleeting hours be done;
Then, in ‘that day’ my Lord to meet,
And stand before His Judgment seat;
Only one life,’twill soon be past,

Self-Love or Selfless Love

How important is it to have our own feelings and desires met? Is it not better, rather, to give ourselves and our time to God and to the service of other people?

When we spurn the idea of worshipping God and helping others, we naturally default to our own needs, desires and wants — to get a lasting sense of self-fulfillment and satisfaction. After all, our feelings and desires live in that big, overly expansive room, in our thinking, that takes up so much space we have no room for thoughts of other people’s needs. The greater the ego, the more we banish the thoughts of spending our time with God, or on the poor, the downtrodden, the elderly, the homeless, the sick and the widows.

Gratification of our own needs, pleasures and desires builds our sole habitat; a very lonely place to dwell. Left to our own selfish devices, we actually inhabit and move with our feelings and dreams of self- fulfillment, in idle, egotistical daydreams– never meant by God to be any kind of virtual reality. True reality exists on an objective plane, and true reality becomes perverted only when the individual, autonomous ego takes over and raises itself to self-aggrandizement and unbelief by denying the existence of a Supreme Being and an objective truth.

We have to remember: true, agape love always has an object and an objective: to love and care and assist our fellow human beings. And agape love for God enjoins worshipful adoration and active obedience as a cornerstone to a real, lively faith.

Self-love (and I am referring to total absorption, here, not a reasonable regard for our own needs and Christian attributes, in proper perspective) is the antithesis of loving God first and foremost. When our feelings and desires become our sole focus, we always supplant the needs of others and do not honor God as supreme Lord. We cannot serve two masters.

And this goes back to what we, as human beings, were created for. We are finite beings (death pretty much takes away any objections to the contrary) and we were designed to worship an infinite being of great worth, truth, majesty and holiness. Any other worship, especially of self, is idolatry. We need to get this through our thick heads—God/Jesus Christ is the epicenter of *HIS* Universe, and we ain’t. But, oh, how this offends so many people’s egos and sensibilities.

Having said all that, here is one of my favorite verses in the Bible: “Not to US, O LORD, not to US, But to YOUR NAME give glory. Because of Your loving kindness, because of Your truth (Psa 115:1).”


Mary Elizabeth Palshan

Martin Luther Revisited

Martin Luther was one of the most polarizing figures in all of Reformation history; and a man full of complexities (I often refer to him as the “ever mercurial” Luther). But the more you read this theologian’s thoughts (which were very avant-garde for the hostile times in which he lived), and also the impressions and opinions of his detractors, a full orbed view of this larger than life person starts to materialize. One thing is for sure: one would never find Martin Luther commonplace. Although, I suspect, that is how he found himself best suited.
A free biography of Martin Luther is available at: http://www.desiringgod.org/blog/posts/martin-luther-biography

Good article by Justin Taylor

http://thegospelcoalition.org/blogs/justintaylor/2012/08/20/is-the-god-of-calvinism-a-moral-monster/

Is the God of Calvinism a Moral Monster?

My comments on Facebook concerning Justin's article.

Most all these type questions stem from a faulty concept of God’s sovereignty.  We count our rights, as people, as being a part of who we are. We can make choices based on our likes and dislikes, and turn out or cast aside anything that we find repugnant or objectionable.  But with God, we expect something along the lines of extreme toleration. Always forgetting that He has every right to like, accept, and endear Himself to anyone He so chooses to. Remember, He is the one who is holy, righteous and good, and is THE Supreme Being and Creator of all things great and small that is being maligned and sinned against by evil and totally corrupted sinners. 

I am reminded that God’s attribute of wrath was with Him from all eternity past, along with all His other glorious attributes. So in a very real sense, knowing God had/has this attribute from eternity past, it was/is very evident that He would create human beings that would sin against His glory. What other reason would this attribute of wrath be necessary for from eternity past? If we can imagine a God without likes/dislikes/preferences, and without the freedom to do as He so pleases, then we would surely have a God without the attribute of wrath. Why, if we give ourselves the right to make choices, do we deny the Creator of the Universe the very same rights? 

God’s freedom to choose whosoever He will is His divine, prerogative: and none can stay His hand or say to Him, what doest thou?  We need to get a real dose of our creatureliness; we are in the hands of a sovereign Creator, who makes some vessels for honor and other vessels for dishonor.

C. H. Spurgeon comments on Arminianism.

"I do not serve the god of the Arminians at all; I have nothing to do with him, and I do not bow down before the Baal they have set up; he is not my God, nor shall he ever be; I fear him not, nor tremble at his presence...The God that saith today and denieth tomorrow, that justifieth today and condemns the next...is no relation to my God in the least degree. He may be a relation of Ashtaroth or Baal, but Jehovah never was or can be his name." - C.H.Spurgeon

More of my writing on facebook.

Tolerance for sin takes root by degrees. First of all, it usually starts with mushy sentimentalism, and a proclivity to put “love” as a supreme virtue with little regard for God’s truth and His justice. Love, without ANY foundation in God’s truth, has been the greatest form of evil to enter our sacred sanctuaries. Sentimentalism, and that ‘ah, shucks, he’s just a great guy/gal, give em a break, kind of attitude,’ will soon rip the very moorings from our churches. Tolerance for the smallest of sins, even, is simply a foolhardy way to live ones life. It always has devastating consequences, and rightly so.

I am reminded of an article I read concerning the building of the Great Wall of China. It was said that the slaves who worked to build this monumental fortress, had to sift every ounce of dirt by hand, because if ONE SEED were to be found among the dirt, and if it germinated within the wall, the integrity of the entire structure would be at risk. I thought this was a great illustration of how ONE SEED of sin can totally compromise and put our footing on shaky ground. This was certainly indicative of Adam’s fall into sin, and the resultant change of our natures.

God’s absolutes and non-negotiable truths are the very rocks we have to stand on; unlike the shifting sand of those who makeup the “moral” majority, who will always cry foul if you squeeze them a bit too hard, while they play in the vomit of their pet sins. If we have the mind of Christ, we not only cannot stand the stench of our own sins, but we HATE the very sins of others, which are responsible for leading “them” (precious souls that they are) into a pit that has no egress. That is why hating sin has such virtue and promise, and has the potential of such great reward. If we care enough to sound the alarm and be the watchman on the wall, we help alert others to the grave truth about damnation and eternal hell fire. The MOST LOVING THING that we can do is tell someone that God ABHORS sin; that sin is a stench in His nostrils, and that the unrighteous will NOT inherit His kingdom. But the good news is God has made a way of escape through His precious Son, Jesus Christ.

Should we let the idolater/liar/drunkard/fornicator etc, continue to believe that it is fine to daily practice their pet sins? That God has got their backs in spite of their stubborn, relentless rebellion. I believe that the faith that justifies is also the same faith that sanctifies (a quick summation of Lordship Salvation, eh?). This is the TRUE and acceptable doctrine of the Reformed Theology. And if we enter a church thinking that God winks and looks askance at our sins, and it is fine to straddle the fence and frolic in the playground of evil, without any thought of repentance, we’ve entered by the wrong gate, folks. That would be the wide gate that leads to destruction.

People honestly need a good dose of the total depravity of man, and the ABSOLUTE purity and holiness of God; this is where the light begins to shine in the dark recesses of our depraved hearts. And since God is righteous, all His dealings with man are done in righteousness. Man does not get to decide what is fair and just, only God has a right to do that, because He is holy, good, pure, and without spot or blemish. Only a being such as this can fairly and equitably dispense justice. “Shall not the Judge of all the earth do right (Gen 18:25)?” We are fallen creatures, who deserve only God’s wrath, we have no claim to our next meal, our next breath, or our next sentence, and we deserve and are owed nothing good in this life or the eternal life to come.

The reason I came across strong with my language concerning this woman priest, is because she misrepresents a holy and just God, who will not be mocked. (As a woman she should not even be in the pulpit in the first place) She has no reverence for the holy God of the Bible, or respect for His perfect Word, which denounces her rebellion in NO uncertain terms. People like her have not peered deep into the dark, bottomless pit, of their own depravity; they have not believed in, or trusted in, a God of “purer” eyes, who CANNOT behold evil; they have not savored the sweetness of the Lord’s tender mercies, or cried with the seraphim’s, singing “Holy, holy, holy, is the LORD of hosts: the whole earth is full of his glory (Isa 6:3).”

If you love God’s holiness and purity—you WILL be transformed into His likeness.
Sexual perversions are a particularly grievous sin to God, as it defiles our bodies, which is the temple of the Holy Spirit. I make no apologies for any of my statements. Sexual perversions are an abomination to the Lord, just like lying, stealing, cheating and many other sins are. May God have mercy on all of us.