Culture Rot

There is a REASON that the Scriptures have stood the test of time.

Now, while we may receive a limited amount of previously undiscovered Insight, no amount of "Wokeness" is going to change the Truth.

And what I mean by the above is: Martin Luthor could see the truth in Jesus' message of Love & Forgiveness that was not being taught by the Mainline Church, but there were still a few edges of his thought that could use some sanding & polishing.

I would imagine I'm not the only one frustrated at what's going on out there. And I'm not the only one who's trying to do something about it. But it's still hard. Came across two quotes from a pastor:

"Slow motion is still motion."

"Never underestimate the power of consistency."

A little encouragement in discouraging times.

joecool wrote:I've said it before and I'll say it again. My generation inherited and then trashed what used to be one country, under God.

From The Daily Mail......

"The National MS Society has defended firing a 90-year-old volunteer for breaching its diversity and inclusion policy after she asked what pronouns were.

Fran Itkoff had served the non-profit for multiple sclerosis patients for 60 years,  with her late husband running the Long Beach Lakewood chapter prior to his death.

She was left stunned when her bosses forced her to step down on January 19 following an exchange with a colleague who asked her to use her pronouns in an email signatures."


This lady was a Free Volunteer for 60 years, and she was sacked, because she didn't understand the NMSS wokie pronoun policy.

AND, THEN, STILL FLIPP'IN DEFENDS THE DECISION.

And for a major upcoming event, INSPIRE dis-invited their keynote speaker, who was a world-class athlete who has spent years motivating other women. Why? Because she served in the Israeli Defense Forces 30 years ago. Yes, that's her crime and leftists pushed to cancel her.

I know I shouldn't have these kind of thoughts...but the events in Revelation will cancel them...

...unless they repent.

joecool wrote: On today's Meet the Press show, Rona McDaniel, the GOP National Committee Chair, was asked about the issue of abortion and its prominence in the recent elections. Her response: "I'm not a policy person...It's not my decision about federal or state" restrictions.

And earlier this week, Desantis' campaign manager said that a 15-week abortion federal ban would be an "extreme hypothetical."  

And so it begins. The GOP will increasingly turn a blind eye to the culture of death.

From (surprisingly) the National Review, a long but very interesting column on The Case For A Theo-centric Right. There's something afoot in the lofty reaches of the GOP. They're tired of the culture war and want to just be politicians. The author points out that without being grounded in the Word of God, the Repubs will start by being Libertarian Light and within a decade be largely indistinguishable from the Democrats. (In many areas, they already are.)

https://www.nationalreview.com/magazine/2024/04/the-case-for-a-theocentric-right/?bypass_key=UnYwOHRkdUR1ZitiY3k0QjB6M09Idz09OjpVWGxqV2tad1ZpdHdhVGN3VVdKVldtWkVTRmx1UVQwOQ%3D%3D

A column from Dennis Prager that points out the chasm between left and right.

https://townhall.com/columnists/dennisprager/2024/03/05/dennis-prager-n2636068

Here's the last paragraph:
"If you still think the left-right divide is bridgeable, it is only because it is too painful to confront the tragic reality of contemporary American life: Today's left-right divide is at least as great as the North-South divide before and during the Civil War. The only thing that remains the same is that it was the Democratic Party that opposed freedom then, and it is the Democratic Party that opposes freedom today."

I would add another painful observation - that the majority of Republican politicians today want nothing to do with the culture war. They will not stand up against the evil that is rotting our country from the inside out. They put their finger in the wind and go with the flow.

It's up to God's people to fight the good fight. Until the final bell rings.

Amen brother

The Platte River's length is just over 1000 miles, but it's routinely overlooked as a major river. Why? Because you can routinely cross almost anywhere without getting your shoulders wet. There are an awful lot of water claims on this resource. Some experts say that it will eventually cease to be a tributary to a larger river.

An inch deep and a mile wide. Unfortunately, some Christians are like that. When the cultural heat is applied, the depth of their faith isn't enough to keep them alive (in Christ). The way to Heaven is straight and narrow. And depth is required.

This week, I came across a European study that looked at "wokeness." Here's how many people respond favorably to it:

Women....7 out of 10
Men.........1 out of 7

It's no wonder fewer men are dating or getting married. They don't want to be shackled to someone who is brain-damaged by over-exposure to anti-social media.

Without being sexist, only objective, women have always been more emotional and whimsical than men.  Men provided the food, protection, & stability, while women provided the emotion and love (and maybe, a bit of unpredictable excitement).

That worked out, pretty well, for thousands of years, until technology took away the indispensability of men in the home and the workplace.  I don't see any way that society can put that toothpaste back into the tube.

It is also interesting that a study came out in the past 10 days or so, stating that Woke people tend to be much less happy with their lives / or that people who are unhappy with their lives are more likely to be Woke people.

It is almost an antithesis (but nonetheless true) that:

by getting everything that they want, they are much less happy..

The more you know, the more you....

...want to vomit. I'm doing research for an upcoming small group that I'm teaching. At Oregon Health and Science University, which is a teaching hospital, Doctors Fronk and Stein (okay, I made that part up) have announced a new technique. In vitro gametogenesis transfers the nucleus of a skin cell into a donated egg in which the nucleus has been removed. In essence, the egg is no longer an egg, but a host. But why try something like that?

To quote, "It also raises the possibility of men in same-sex relationships having children who are genetically related to both parents."

And this is a teaching hospital. Their next generation of health professionals are going to need mental health care themselves. I dove deeper into the university's "values" and found numerous references to intersectionality and DEI, as well as an Inclusive Language Guide that warns you not to say, "biological male or female." (I wonder if the newest member of the US Supreme Court went to school there?)

Sure feels like the Rapture will happen in our lifetime. Things are going downhill so quickly. I've just ordered a book that I've been waiting several months for: Pagan America - The Decline of Christianity and the Dark Age To Come. The author published a column last night summarizing his main points, and I can't disagree with him.

To highlight one of his points, "Everything is becoming permissible." Think about it: legalized recreational drugs, surgical procedures on gender-confused children, polygamous relationships recognized by the courts, satanic clubs in schools, artificial intelligence in churches, same-sex marriage, denying Israel's right to exist, unrestricted abortion.........it's an almost endless list.

"Everything is permissible - but not everything is beneficial. Everything is permissible - but not everything is constructive. Nobody should seek his own good, but the good of others." (1 Cor 10:23-24)

Well, well, well. The world's most popular atheist/evolutionist, Richard Dawkins, gave an interview in which he declared himself a "cultural Christian." He admitted to liking hymns and gave credit to Christianity for producing a better civilization. I wonder if he's hedging his bets as he grows older.

It reminds me of Sir Anthony Flew, formerly the world's most renowned atheist. About 20 years ago, he announced that he was going to take a fresh look at all the evidence. He was disowned after publishing his findings, which included a money quote that went something like, "I don't know if His name is Allah, Buddha, or Yahweh, but I know that there is a Creator."

The Stronger Men Conference is an annual event put on by an AG mega-church in Springfield. It brings in manly speakers and puts on testosterone-laden events like bull-riding and tanks crushing cars. Last week, one of the events was a performance by a sword-swallower who is also a male stripper. His stage act for the conference included tearing off his shirt and climbing up a stripper pole.

Later, perhaps the next day, a scheduled speaker/pastor stepped up to the microphone and called out the performance as "Jezebel-like" and inappropriate for the conference. The hosting pastor quickly kicked him off the stage. There was a mix of applause and boos.

I've got my own opinion of this, but what's yours? Which pastor was out of line? What would you have done?

joecool wrote:The Stronger Men Conference is an annual event put on by an AG mega-church in Springfield. It brings in manly speakers and puts on testosterone-laden events like bull-riding and tanks crushing cars. Last week, one of the events was a performance by a sword-swallower who is also a male stripper. His stage act for the conference included tearing off his shirt and climbing up a stripper pole.

Later, perhaps the next day, a scheduled speaker/pastor stepped up to the microphone and called out the performance as "Jezebel-like" and inappropriate for the conference. The hosting pastor quickly kicked him off the stage. There was a mix of applause and boos.

I've got my own opinion of this, but what's yours? Which pastor was out of line? What would you have done?

I now have a better understanding of why that church would put out highly questionable "entertainment." Their reasoning comes from the same place that led them to invite Bill Johnson to be a guest speaker at their church. Don't know who he is? Read the "Gold Dust and Feathers" thread. The leadership of this AG church needs a serious Come To Jesus moment.

Update: The mega-church's website now prominently showcases a video of their pastor demanding that the "call out" pastor repent. Hmmm. I guess the best defense, if you don't have one, is to go on offense.

Sinners dont want to hear about sin.

Reminds of a gay "Christian" I worked with some years back. She was in a relationship with another woman, drank heavily, yet she would happily tell people about how God is love... etc.

Just fooling herself.

This "pastor" who kicked out the speaker, has the same kind of feel. How dare you mention sin, Jesus loves the sinner! And He does , but he also told them to repent.

Title IX was passed by Congress in 1972, giving females equal opportunity and protection in any educational program or activity, including sports. Well, it's effectively gone.

The Biden Administration has just removed the word "sex" and replaced it with "gender identity." What does that mean? Biological males are now a Title IX preferred protected class. You can't keep them out of female sports. And if you disagree, whether you're an individual, school, district or state official, you can now be federally charged with harassment.

Evil wins again. But we all knew it was coming. It wasn't happening in a vacuum, as warning signals were going off all over the place, including in the halls of Wash, DC. Yet it was still allowed to happen.

The GOP is worthless. What does it stand for? The only thing they're good at is printing more money and sending it overseas. When the GOP wins elections, they're "in office." When the Dems win elections, they're "in power."

Update: "We are already occupied by an authoritarian, lawless, intolerant regime, but the Republicans are busy fighting for "freedom" half a world away." - John Zmirak, The Stream

Yesterday, Biden was on stage at a pro-abortion rally in Florida. During the speaker's derogatory comments about Desantis, Biden three times made the sign of the cross. In my opinion, that makes the blasphemy list. One of the things that came to my mind was the similarity to Peter's 3-time denial of Jesus.

Peter repented and received forgiveness. Biden? He may be too far down the path to perdition to do the same.

joecool wrote:Yesterday, Biden was on stage at a pro-abortion rally in Florida. During the speaker's derogatory comments about Desantis, Biden three times made the sign of the cross. In my opinion, that makes the blasphemy list. One of the things that came to my mind was the similarity to Peter's 3-time denial of Jesus.

Peter repented and received forgiveness. Biden? He may be too far down the path to perdition to do the same.

Being a former Catholic, the essential meaning of making the blessing of the Sign of the Cross is to express that you are putting yourself under Jesus, you are seeking God's/Jesus' protection, and that you are doing (whatever it is that you are doing): "In the Name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit".

Blasphemy?

I guess that I can't argue against your conclusion.

Claymore wrote:

joecool wrote:Yesterday, Biden was on stage at a pro-abortion rally in Florida. During the speaker's derogatory comments about Desantis, Biden three times made the sign of the cross. In my opinion, that makes the blasphemy list. One of the things that came to my mind was the similarity to Peter's 3-time denial of Jesus.

Peter repented and received forgiveness. Biden? He may be too far down the path to perdition to do the same.

Being a former Catholic, the essential meaning of making the blessing of the Sign of the Cross is to express that you are putting yourself under Jesus, you are seeking God's/Jesus' protection, and that you are doing (whatever it is that you are doing): "In the Name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit".

Blasphemy?

I guess that I can't argue against your conclusion.

Let me argue for the defendant:

"Your Honor, he was just making a joke, using the sign of the Cross as a prop...wait a minute, that won't work.
Your Honor, he was asking the Almighty to protect him against pro-life policies...wait a minute, let me try another.
Your Honor, given the whole reason why he was standing on that particular platform, he was trying to ward off a probable bolt of lightning.

Your Honor, there is no defense. We throw ourselves upon the mercy of the court!"

joecool wrote:Yesterday, Biden was on stage at a pro-abortion rally in Florida. During the speaker's derogatory comments about Desantis, Biden three times made the sign of the cross. In my opinion, that makes the blasphemy list.

A Catholic bishop in Spain called Biden's gestures a "sacrilege."

Sacrilege - (noun) desecration or profanation of something sacred.

Haven't come across news of any American bishop who is also critical.

A county judge in New York stopped a women's roller derby league from banning (mentally ill) men from their teams. What's next, men in beauty contests? Wait, that's been done. Disney World princesses? Done. Shot put and weightlifting? Done.

When will women stand up in greater numbers to reclaim their rightful place in society? What would Helen Reddy sing?

In the last few years, when going to the VA for an annual checkup, I've been given some eye-opening warnings. "Your blood tests show that everything is within the desired parameters, BUT...you're pre-diabetes." Or, "You're pre-kidney disease," or "Your moles are pre-cancerous." It's felt like I've been in the middle of a pharmaceutical commercial that is trying to sell their product with doom and gloom.

Everything can be described with a prefix. "I'm a pre-billionaire, pre-jet pilot, pre-great grandfather, pre-senior athletic world record holder, and pre-deep sea diver on oil rigs." (Actually, one of those is true.) We are pre-anything and everything, because it hasn't happened yet. Many things are possible, but fewer are probable.

And not everything is permissible. Because we have ignored that warning, it is probable that our country will fail within a couple of generations. It's possible that it will fail within a single generation.

We live in a country that is already post-Christian. Our country's condition is now pre-Hell. And there's only one cure.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yzqTFNfeDnE

Last weekend, a Kansas City Chief player gave the commencement address at a small Catholic college. He ripped those who deserve to be called out, and praised those who need to be appreciated. The crowd loved his message. Today, there's been a flood of negative news: the Kansas City mayor dumped on him, the NFL disowned him, and 100 thousand people signed a petition demanding that the Chiefs release him. The guy did nothing except speak uncomfortable truth.

Pope Francis was asked in a 60 Minutes interview about his views on American Catholics who aren't fans of his papacy. Because they "cling to something and do not want to see beyond that," they are trapped in a "suicidal attitude."

Brothers, persecution is coming. Not only from the secular world, but from inside the Church, as well.

joecool wrote: Brothers, persecution is coming. Not only from the secular world, but from inside the Church, as well.

In the last couple of days, the Catholic nun order that's associated with Benedictine College said that they don't share Butker's values.

And a headline from Newsweek said "Thousands Sign Christian Petition Against Butker." I did a little research and found that the petition was on the Faithful America website. Looking through it, they are a project begun by the National Council of Churches. That right there is all 3 strikes. They loath Christian "Nationalists," who they claim have tried to hi-jack Christianity. So, what else is on their site? They:
- Support social justice causes
- Stand with BLM
- Stand with the LGBTQ community
- Support climate change initiatives

Um, who hi-jacked Christianity? Not a single word on their site about Jesus, the Gospel, or reaching the lost. We are most definitely in the last days, with deceivers, false prophets and fake christs.