And now for something completely different

[Ron]

Josh Dickson: The Christian Case for Joe Biden

https://www.christianitytoday.com/edstetzer/2020/october/christian-case-for-joe-biden.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+christianitytoday%2Fctmag+%28CT+Magazine%29

In stark contrast to what we see from the Trump administration, Joe’s agenda is rooted in the Biblical ideals of loving our neighbors as ourselves, caring for the poor and vulnerable, welcoming the stranger, fighting injustice in all its forms, and ensuring that everyone has the chance to reach their fullest God-given potential. He has concrete plans for beating COVID-19, which disproportionately impacts marginalized communities; explicitly addressing the systemic racism that denies the human dignity of too many of our brothers and sisters of color; attacking the root causes of poverty head-on; and building an immigration system that treats people with dignity and respect. He’s also worked with, and deeply values, faith leaders, congregations, and communities, as evidenced by his support of the White House Office of Faith-based and Neighborhood Partnerships as Vice President.

On top of this, Joe Biden is someone who doesn’t just hear the Bible— he does what it says. He’s a regular church-goer whose efforts to alleviate suffering come from the tragic personal experience of losing his first wife and daughter, and later his oldest son. These trials have only made Joe’s faith stronger. He often quotes Søren Kierkegaard, saying “Faith sees best in the dark.”

[MechAg94]

So I guess it comes down to what you want.  A nice sounding, smooth talking guy who stabs you in the back when you aren't looking or the arrogant guy who is a bit of a jerk, but pretty much does what he says he will do. 

[Hawkmoon]

I'm sure the Bible teaches fathers to shower with their young daughters, but I can't seem to recall exactly where it says that. Is that in the Old Testamant or the New Testament?

[RoadKingLarry]

They left out the part where he is a supporter of full term abortion.

[Ron]

So I guess it comes down to what you want.  A nice sounding, smooth talking guy who stabs you in the back when you aren't looking or the arrogant guy who is a bit of a jerk, but pretty much does what he says he will do. 

It is amazing how they can claim Joe is part of the solution even after his 47 years of being the problem.

Someone here took offense in a past thread to my describing American Christianity as being in large part the Laodicean Church.

The Evangelicals are going down the path of mainline Protestantism and Vatican II Roman Catholicism.

[WLJ]

It is amazing how they can claim Joe is part of the solution even after his 47 years of being the problem.

How many times have we heard socialism has never been tried before?
Freaking goldfish

[Ron]

Thomas Sowell
@ThomasSowell
When the political left wants to help the black community, they usually want to help the worst elements in that community—thugs they portray as martyrs, for example—without the slightest regard for negative effects this can have on the lives of the majority of decent black people

[Pb]

Joe Biden supports killing children in the womb.

"A Christian Case for Joe Biden" is like a Christian case for a priest of Moloch.

"Christianity" Today should be ashamed of itself for giving space for this blasphemy.

I notice they don't allow comments.  Gosh, I wonder why?   

If you hate Trump, you can vote for nobody instead of a monster like Joe Biden.

This should even be a religious issue.  Every moral atheist should be horrified that our society permits elective human abortion.

[Ron]

Joe Biden supports killing children in the womb.

"A Christian Case for Joe Biden" is like a Christian case for a priest of Moloch.

"Christianity" Today should be ashamed of itself.

Baal and Moloch are well represented in American Christianity.

[Pb]

So I guess it comes down to what you want.  A nice sounding, smooth talking guy who stabs you in the back when you aren't looking or the arrogant guy who is a bit of a jerk, but pretty much does what he says he will do. 

Trump is an unmitigated narcissistic ahole with no principles.

And he is a better President than any Republican I ever voted for in my life! (I didn't even vote in 2016)

Was a huge surprise for me.  The benefit of low expectations I guess.

I must say, expections of "Christianity" Today were already so low I was not suprised to see them print this vile garbage.

[Ron]

We all will be forced to bend the knee to Caesar.

In fact we already have to a large extent.

At this point it is which Caesar will it be?

Trump might be in a different line of power and families than the ones who have been ruling the roost for awhile.

Trumps worth taking a flier on as we know what's in store if he loses.

edited to add ... or not. Let's face it, we're voting for who is going to run Mordor on the Potomac. Mordor is still Mordor even if "your guy" wins. What type of person wants to rule hell? It always comes back to lesser of evils sigh

[makattak]

There are a lot of "Christians" who are tired of being seen as "unwoke" and "icky conservatives."

They want society (read "liberals") to like them, because they're good people. All they have to do is compromise just a few things like abortion and gay marriage and sexualizing children and and and and (the list will keep getting bigger) and they can still be "Christians" because they are CERTAIN Christ was all about compromising in order to get the things He REALLY cared about enacted by the Roman government.

[K Frame]

"They want society (read "liberals") to like them, because they're good people. All they have to do is compromise just a few things like abortion and gay marriage and sexualizing children and and and and (the list will keep getting bigger) and they can still be "Christians" because they are CERTAIN Christ was all about compromising in order to get the things He REALLY cared about enacted by the Roman government."

They're not Christians.

They're christians.

Big, BIG difference between the two.

[MechAg94]

Trump is an unmitigated narcissistic ahole with no principles.

And he is a better President than any Republican I ever voted for in my life! (I didn't even vote in 2016)

Was a huge surprise for me.  The benefit of low expectations I guess.

I must say, expections of "Christianity" Today were already so low I was not suprised to see them print this vile garbage.

I don't know if I agree with the no principles part.  That is judging more by what he does not what he says.  He is certainly a braggart and doesn't turn the other cheek with people attack him. 

That said, the people who hate him always seem to be people who think they are better than him which is pretty much an anti-Christian attitude. 

[Perd Hapley]

Someone here took offense in a past thread to my describing American Christianity as being in large part the Laodicean Church.

The Evangelicals are going down the path of mainline Protestantism and Vatican II Roman Catholicism.

That was probably me, and it's still a stupid and offensive thing to say. "The Evangelicals" are too diverse and decentralized a movement to make such a sweeping condemnation of. The Laodiceanism or heresy of a megachurch in some random city tells you very little about the religion of a thousand other Evangelical churches throughout the country.

[makattak]

That was probably me, and it's still a stupid and offensive thing to say. "The Evangelicals" are too diverse and decentralized a movement to make such a sweeping condemnation of. The Laodiceanism or heresy of a megachurch in some random city tells you very little about the religion of a thousand other Evangelical churches throughout the country.

I'm sure you'd be willing to concede there are a lot of itching ears out there, though.

(For those not up on biblical terminology, that's people who go looking for preaching that tells them what they want to hear and avoids hard truths.)

[Perd Hapley]

I'm sure you'd be willing to concede there are a lot of itching ears out there, though.

And?

[Ron]

That was probably me, and it's still a stupid and offensive thing to say. "The Evangelicals" are too diverse and decentralized a movement to make such a sweeping condemnation of. The Laodiceanism or heresy of a megachurch in some random city tells you very little about the religion of a thousand other Evangelical churches throughout the country.

How many thousands of sermons do you think we could find, preached in evangelical and fundamentalist churches in the last half decade, that refer to to the 20th/21st century church either as Laodicean or as THE Laodicean church?

I bet we could even find some Missouri Synod Lutherans, old school Methodists and even Traditional Roman Catholics who draw the connection. 

My referencing it isn't some way out there idea.

"Ye are the salt of the earth: but if the salt have lost his savour, wherewith shall it be salted? it is thenceforth good for nothing, but to be cast out, and to be trodden under foot of men."
 

[Ron]

Itching ears indeed Mak. The "church" is always a decade or two behind the current trends in philosophy and social proofs but corporately can be counted on to get with the "worlds" program eventually.

 
Just for reference here is Jesus speaking to the Laodicean church.

I know thy works, that thou art neither cold nor hot: I would thou wert cold or hot.

So then because thou art lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will spue thee out of my mouth.
 
Because thou sayest, I am rich, and increased with goods, and have need of nothing; and knowest not that thou art wretched, and miserable, and poor, and blind, and naked:

I counsel thee to buy of me gold tried in the fire, that thou mayest be rich; and white raiment, that thou mayest be clothed, and that the shame of thy nakedness do not appear; and anoint thine eyes with eyesalve, that thou mayest see.  

As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten: be zealous therefore, and repent.  

Behold, I stand at the door, and knock: if any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with me.  

To him that overcometh will I grant to sit with me in my throne, even as I also overcame, and am set down with my Father in his throne.

He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches.

[Hawkmoon]

There are a lot of "Christians" who are tired of being seen as "unwoke" and "icky conservatives."

They want society (read "liberals") to like them, because they're good people.

I don't care whether or not liberals like me. In fact, if liberals like me it probably means I'm doing something wrong.

[Perd Hapley]

How many thousands of sermons do you think we could find, preached in evangelical and fundamentalist churches in the last half decade, that refer to to the 20th/21st century church either as Laodicean or as THE Laodicean church?

I bet we could even find some Missouri Synod Lutherans, old school Methodists and even Traditional Roman Catholics who draw the connection.  

My referencing it isn't some way out there idea.

 

I'm not accusing you of original thought. I've heard plenty of those sermons, too, and if - watch the if here - if they broad-brush all of American Christendom the way you do, I don't like those, either.

But as if to help you make your point, John Piper is now toeing the same, stupid line.

https://thefederalist.com/2020/10/30/theologian-john-pipers-case-against-trump-is-intellectually-and-morally-bankrupt/

(If folks around here don't know, John Piper is kind of a big deal.)

[Ron]

https://babylonbee.com/news/progressive-evangelical-leaders-meet-affirm-doctrine-sola-feels?

“Quite simply, ‘Sola Feels’ means that all spiritual truths only become true once they’re filtered through and accepted by our feels—all the feels,” popular author and speaker Jane Hansen told reporters after the meeting. “Thus, things that make us feel bad, those are wrong. The things that give us all the happy feels, those are true, right, and good.”

“At least, that’s how we feel at the moment, I feel,” she noted.

 

oh wait

 

[Ron]

I'm not accusing you of original thought. I've heard plenty of those sermons, too, and if - watch the if here - if they broad-brush all of American Christendom the way you do, I don't like those, either.

But as if to help you make your point, John Piper is now toeing the same, stupid line.

https://thefederalist.com/2020/10/30/theologian-john-pipers-case-against-trump-is-intellectually-and-morally-bankrupt/

(If folks around here don't know, John Piper is kind of a big deal.)

Pretty good article.

I hadn't heard of Pipers stance on the election.





 

[Ron]

https://www.christianitytoday.com/edstetzer/2020/october/of-course-evangelicals-should-vote-for-trump.html

As we seek to navigate this election as Christians, I’ve invited representatives from both campaigns, in addition to those outside the campaigns, to offer their reasoning behind their voting choice. We will begin this series with Paula White-Cain, a representative from the Trump administration.

Her article is written around the bullet points below

He has reset our courts for a generation
He has protected the unborn
He has preserved religious freedom
He has an astonishing foreign policy record
He has built our economy
He has strengthened minority communities
He has promoted social justice
He has reached across the aisle
He has never been ashamed of America

[Ron]

https://www.npr.org/2020/10/26/926659149/for-trump-conservative-catholics-are-the-new-evangelicals?utm_campaign=storyshare&utm_source=twitter.com&utm_medium=social

For Trump, Conservative Catholics Are The New Evangelicals

Four years ago, white evangelicals rallied behind Donald Trump's presidential candidacy, and he reveled in their adulation.

"The evangelicals love me, and I love them," Trump said repeatedly on the campaign trail. In his acceptance speech at the Republican National Convention, evangelicals were the only faith group he singled out for thanks, saying their support was "a big reason for me being here tonight."

In the general election, however, it was not the evangelicals who carried Trump to victory but Catholics, a group he had rarely mentioned in his speeches.

"People were quite amazed at the overall impact that the white evangelicals had in the election, but I think what was missed was the critical role of the Catholic voters," says Mark Rozell, dean of the Schar School of Policy and Government at George Mason University.