You can be assured that I want to have a little talk with Jesus about the Political Seduction of the Church, especially the lies being freely disseminated across the American landscape...
The Church of Jesus--meaning the community of believers worldwide through all generations--is utterly transcendent. It has been purchased at the highest imaginable price--the blood of the Son of God--and it consists of hundreds of millions of redeemed men and women from every background and ethnicity and color. Those who are part of the blood-bought community live in every nation on the earth, yet their ultimate citizenship is in heaven. In the words of Prof. Gerald Sittset, rather than being resident aliens, they are alien residents. They are in this world but not of it.
Those of us who are part of this community are united, but not by any earthly creed or national anthem. We are united based on our shared citizenship in God's heavenly kingdom and our joint status as sons and daughters in His family. And our real hometown is not the city of our natural birth or current earthly dwelling. Rather, it is a city that is quite literally out of this world. As the author of the letter to the Hebrews states:
- you have come to Mount Zion and to the city of th living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and to innumerable angels in festal gathering, and to the assembly of the firstborn who are enrolled in heaven, and to God, the judge of all, and to the spirits of the righteous made perfect, and to Jesus, the mediator of a new covenant and to the sprinkled blood that speaks a better word than the blood of Abel (Heb.12:22-24).
Sometimes, after reading many many non-fiction books, it would be wonderful if the use of a specialized lexicon was immediately explained to readers who are not leaders or otherwise associated with the administration of whatever is being identified... Or, if the book is not written for everybody, then the title or subtitle should reflect something like, For Christian Church Leaders...
In an7 event, since I was not quite sure of the meaning as part of a declarative statement by a Christian author, I googled "transcendent" before proceeding further.... There was no Glossary in this book...
What is the biblical meaning of transcendent? The
transcendence of God means that God is outside of humanity's full experience, perception or grasp. The immanence of God means that he is knowable, perceivable or graspable. Uh, OK?
Frankly, as I start to read, again, to talk about it, I found I needed more to understand why a chapter states this as an important factor... The following video helped me a lot... so am including for those, like me, who wanted to know more... After all, this was about the role of God in the Church; in our lives...
Well, I might get hungup sometimes when I go to UTube but I do so enjoy the automatic reference popups of relevant other videos that they have programmed... Great site, isn't it... Once a pastor, I think, talked about terminology, my mind automatically started considering the relevant complementary music that seemed to respond to the discussion... I had never heard any of the songs I shared today...hope you enjoy them as I did... The media reference were spot-on in my opinion, so do check them out for confirmation of what is actually happening in today's world...
You know folks, I've been living in this area, close to Pittsburgh, PA, for many years. During those years, I was participating in two parts of my life...the Church and My professional work career. My background is lower middle class, I would say. My father was killed in a mine accident, while my mother carried me. Given that significant factor--no male leader of the household, we all watched as my mother worked day and night to support us, so much so that, as children, we took jobs like selling the newspaper in our small town, carrying water or other small tasks for our neighbors... We turned any earnings over to Mom... We did have extended family in the area and so had that type of support, which, for me, proved to be both positive and negative...
In any event, it was only when I retired, that I had some freedom to even watch television or read books--something I had always done, except it took much longer to read a complete book.
I was in school when we were no longer allowed to say The Lord's Prayer in School. Frankly? it didn't mean too much to me, given that I was always so involved with the church, or working, that religion never really was part of school life. Isn't that the way other Christian families lived?
I also remember when a store like Hill's or Walmart had a survey at the counter when we checked out. They were asking if I would sign a petition to keep stores closed on Sundays. I didn't sign it. By that time, the work environment was well known to me. 24-hour shifts, for instance, would affect an individual's life, no matter what religion they were...so it seemed that that issue should be more of a community decision based upon the area.
I also remember when Ms. O'Hara, Atheist, created significant turmoil when she also fought for the Nativity not to be erected on government land--city or state or federal. Again, it was over and new laws were put in place... I found it more disturbing that Santa Claus and the over-buying of gifts, in my opinion, for children was much more a problem to family life and home... Jesus is the Reason for the Season...and always will be in my mind... Mom would buy one large gift for the family. I remember one year, it was a croquet set... We were excited...and satisfied...
In many ways, changes occurred and was adapted to, it was just like having to use seat belts in our cars being mandated...It was for public safety--for everybody, and it was logical to me to follow that new law...
Just as it was logical for me to completely understand why, in the midst of a world-wide pandemic, strict mask use and, then, vaccines were all required... After all, we had had measles, polio, or even tetanus shots required, as necessary to ensure no spread of any type of disease... What was the problem this time? Plus the fact that we learned that Trump had withheld information about just how badly the virus was... which led to the spread soon getting out of control... When we learned that he had told this to a journalist who was writing a book, we could easily surmise that Americans really meant little to him... especially when the republicans turned it into a political issue! Soooo, of course, we came to not know who was telling the truth, as was often the came with DJ.
One of the things mentioned in the last two news videos included above was that a beginning point for something happening in the Church/Political area could have been when Jimmy Carter was elected president... Sure, I knew he was a Christian, because of the infamous statement he made about being guilty of sin since he had some lust for a female or another... at that time, it was laughed at, even ridiculed...Did being a Christian mean that you never thought of sex...and if you did...was that considered a sin? And, of course, Carter didn't win a second term... And than John Kennedy, also a Christian, was killed... was it because of his religion? It makes me wonder, since, I believe both of these men were democrats, was it really about religion...or...power and money... Others said it went back to McCarthy when it was claimed that the opposing party were all "commies..." Was politics nothing but "The Blame Game?"
The thing is, in this situation. Dr. Brown has spent a chapter reviewing the literature about how we as Christians are in the world but not of the world... Sometimes, I wish that preachers or writers would get more specific about things...but, anyway, I felt early in life, and still feel that, my life in Church was special, unique...and part of me... I guess I was naïve enough to assume that all people felt that way about their beliefs... So, suddenly, in the last ten years, or so, Christians feel... something... I'm really not sure what... but it now includes hate, prejudice, and violence...
From this book and some other information that has been more available given the chaos that now exists, we learn that Christians feel they must be involved in politics--and to the extent that, they want to be top dog in that arena! Wow... Truly, I never saw that coming... Why? Because the population and changing "types" of citizens has been routinely noted. Even on television, we often see the variety of nationalities that make up...America... I have even had a passing thought about those different from me: The fact that Muslims pray routinely at times preset and they do it wherever they are... The fact that my Black friends are constantly threatened because of, still, discrimination issues that "still" even result in murder! I could not understand how and why this type of prejudice continued after so many years.
One of the old sayings about dinner conversation was that you shouldn't talk about death, taxes, or politics...Ok, I can do that, if anybody else in my family read as much as I do, LOL...or at least was willing to talk about it. I was the youngest of four children, which meant that the others had, really, established lives, before I even got to a time that I was old enough to do something on my own...like go to a movie with a friend...
But, you see, there was a significant thing that took place in my life that was always kept secret...And, yet, I have found at my age and with the violence-oriented and extreme rhetoric that is now happening, I find my secrets are no longer hidden, even within me... as my being a participant of the "me-too" community of women and men who perhaps are christians, who have been abused in some way by sexual abuse, rape, and sometimes even family... And those personal secrets or real issues that women in particular have faced for centuries, are now being thrown into our faces daily... You must do this, else we will put you in jail!
Suddenly I am being faced with a man running for Governor of my state that really scares me! Mastriano is, it appears, much worse than even Trump...or maybe he just is willing to voice his hate, supposedly speaking as a Christian, as well as project everything that he will do to ensure he does anything he wants, and that includes "fixing" the elections in our state! When he says it is ridiculous to exempt those girls that have been raped, especially through incest, I cringed, just as many "me-too" victims must have... And I KNOW it is not the SPIRIT of the Lord that is behind this hate and deceit...and invasion of a woman's body!
So, pulling this altogether, you may wonder where I am going... It's to just one question... What caused it to explode into existence as a major crisis all of a sudden. To me, I have seen Christian groups working together to donate when needed... Or to provide support for the poor, for clothes and food... These routine acts of kindness to our neighbors have gone on for probably decades... Christians have lived as Dr. Brown indicated...so, what has changed? Surely, it could not be because of religious doctrine, because it had been years ago since any change of the issues that the republicans are "using" to scare and incite that fear these days... In the past, we have adjusted as America evolved...
But, you know, not once have I ever heard about any significant work that the Church has done to take action against the sexual abuse inside and outside the Church, including the latest news of a major event in the Southern Baptist congregation... Not once, have I ever heard of anything Churches were doing to lead in the concerns for human trafficking and the seduction of our children... Not Once have I heard of any significant work to investigate the reasons for Abortion. I understand that many are choosing abortion because they do not have the money to afford another child...or cannot afford contraception methods... What I do know is that those who are pro-life have used violence against clinics who serve the poor for more things than abortion... and offer no real help politically to solve the problem of low wages, child care, and more... In fact, most of us have seen that immediately upon taking office, Biden put out plans for these and more! Republicans did nothing during Trump's years and have voted against any support to help alleviate the problems they profess are based upon their faith! Forked Tongue?
This chapter closes with nothing more than awareness--on the part of the author:
Probably the most grievous thing that has taken place in recent years in our conservative evangelical circles is that some Christian politicians have sold out. We became more identified with Trump (or another candidate than with Jesus. Or perhaps worse still, we equated Trump with Jesus, meaning that if you were for Jesus, then you were for Trump. It even felt as if we were equally passionate about both, if not even more passionate politically than spiritually. And in the eyes of a watching world (a world with millions of young people who were paying careful attention), we resembled disciples of Trump more than disciples of Jesus.
Well, Dr. Brown, here is one Christian who painfully watched as the Church acted, not of God, to be polite, for going on six years. Just how long does it take to start doing something...
Because, republicans may not be willing to admit it...But Joe Biden has done more for the country in less than two years, than Trump or any other president in my memory. He has responded to the needs of the poor...he is working to deal with the health issues of the nation...he has presented and is moving on an infrastructure plan which had been "talked about" by Trump, who, of course, had no idea even how to create a plan of action. And, more importantly, he has acted, in spite of his conscience and the refusal of the republican party to even attempt to deal with other issues, such as abortion. He has ensured that his administration is looking out for the entire American population to work to meet the needs of all...even if they are not Christians... That is a sign that he supports the Constitution of the United States of America... And that is what a president of America...does...because...it...is..his...job. Separation of Church and States surely must be continued--because we have seen what one group of religious zealots have done to force their religion... That is, in other countries... How, Now, have Evangelical Christians and the Republican Party decided that America was no longer the land of the free?
And what did the republican party and evangelical christians do, they've refused to participate in political negotiation. They have revealed a deep, in my opinion, sense of prejudice and bias against all non-white citizens, to the extent of violence, murder, and anything else as being condoned by the republican party and evangelical christians. They have allowed terrorist groups such as KKK, Nazis, and haters of Jews and other citizen immigrants from non-white countries... countries, such as Africa, where the apostles of Christ were sent out to speak of His love...
And it still is going on... In my opinion, the evangelical church and maybe others have made a deal with the devil...
Note that President Biden on May of 2021, already had action out of Congress and through his office related to Hate! If it is not already obvious to you...each of us as voters must vote OUT those who spew hate as truth... Do your research, does your candidate talk of help to all Americans...or hate and violence against anybody that does not belong to one religion...theirs! This is NOT the answer for America, in my opinion!
I am now reading this book, sample of answers coming next...
God Bless,
Gabbie
I am about my Father's Business
(this sentence was given to me this morning
to say at this important time)
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