Free Republic

SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 8, 2008 Obviously, I, like many of my readers, have been a bit discouraged in light of the recent election. And I don’t mean the outcome. Those of you how know me, or follow my blog know that I was disappointed long before the primaries ended, and have been a “third party” guy since long before this election (ironically, some accuse me of jumping on the third party bandwagon because the Republicans added a woman to the ticket). At any rate, Jesus is still on the throne. So don’t be discouraged. Here are ten things about which I...

This Man Went Down to His House Justified August 6, 2006Luke 18:9-14 He also told this parable to some who trusted in themselves that they were righteous, and treated others with contempt: 10 “Two men went up into the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. 11 The Pharisee, standing by himself, prayed thus: ‘God, I thank you that I am not like other men, extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even like this tax collector. 12 I fast twice a week; I give tithes of all that I get.’ 13 But the tax collector, standing far...

Dear Friends, On Thursday January 16 at 8:10 p.m. CST, my father, Lee R. Shelton, Jr. passed away after a short bout with pneumonia. He was 79 years of age and last August celebrated 60 years of marriage together with his life-long sweetheart Loraine. He was the pastor of Mt Zion Bible Church and President of Mt. Zion Ministries/Chapel Library for the past 23 years. He retired from the full time ministry some 3 months ago. Although we are sad at his departure, the Christian Faith gives us hope of the hereafter. After a life of suffering, some 26 major...

Wages from sin Churches should not accept money won from gamblingBy John PiperTHE WEST VIRGINIA PASTORS WHO ACCEPTED JACK Whittaker's tithe on his $170 million Powerball booty should be ashamed of themselves. One of them said, "That's a blessing to have that kind of backing." I don't think so. Christ does not build His church on the backs of the poor. The engine that delivers His righteousness in the world is not driven by the desire to get rich. The gospel of Jesus Christ is not advanced by undermining civic virtue. Let the pastors take their silver and throw it...

Eight principles How Christians should relate to those of other faiths 1. We should not conceal aspects of our faith so as to avoid criticism or disapproval, and we should not ask others to do that. We believe it is just and loving to point out publicly the errors of other faiths, provided this is done with sufficient evidence that the sacred writings or representative spokesmen of those faiths do indeed express these errors. We must strive not to misrepresent other faiths, as that is not only disrespectful but also undermining of our own credibility. 2. We should acknowledge our...

Answer To Prayer!!! God has answered our prayers. Hurricane Lili experienced a major reduction in winds and pressure rose before hitting landfall this early am. 4 hours ago, sustained winds were 145 miles per hour - a Cat 4 hurricane. Now winds are 100 miles per hour a Cat 1. Friends, there is a lot of difference between the two and our Lord has delivered our friends in SW Louisiana from a very destructive storm. We need to continue to pray because damage can still be experieced. But I'm here to tell you that the Lord intervened. Praise His Holy...

Prayer Requested For Those In the Path of LiliPrayer is requested for all those in SW Louisiana as this killer of a hurricane approaches, I have a very sick feeling in the pit of my stomach about this one. I have ridden out many hurricanes as I grew up in New Orleans; Audrey, Betsy and the infamous Camille to name a few. (all listed in the top 20 of most destructive hurricanes this century.) I have friends in SW Louisians and my brother lives in Beaumont. This storm is a Cat 4 and could very well be a Cat 5...

Calm instead of a storm To avoid blowing a gasket, remember that God is in control I HAVE CALMED AND QUIETED MY SOUL," THE POET-king David tells us in Psalm 131, "like a weaned child with its mother; like a weaned child is my soul within me." That's good advice for Christian conservatives in America today: Lots of things can anger us, but few apparitions are uglier and less useful than a red-faced, veins-popping, clamor-voiced defender of a religion that emphasizes loving our neighbors. Christ sometimes was angry but always showed the self-control of One who knew the Father is...

That great steel cross God provided a reminder that He sent His Son to rescue people NOT SURPRISINGLY, GOD AND SUFFERING WERE prominent in this month's 9/11 commemorations. But missing from most was the observation that there were greater horrors in 2001. This is not to minimize the pain of 9/11 but to sharpen the problem of suffering. The world contains more suffering than any human can imagine. And at the center of suffering is the cross of Christ, both in New York and in the Bible. On Sept. 11 last year, 2,823 people died in the collapse of the...

Pro-life photography CULTURE BEAT | Ultrasound technology is coming to shopping malls, and it could radically change the abortion debate | by Gene Edward Veith The most eloquent and unanswerable argument against abortion is surely an ultrasound picture of the baby in the womb. This technology, using high-frequency sound waves that create a visual scan of the developing child, shows the unborn baby sucking his thumb, moving around, sneezing, making faces, and doing other things identical to what babies out of the womb do. No one who sees an ultrasound picture can deny in good faith that what she is...

Bumper crop The wheat and the tares: A great nation—beset by trouble Thoughtful Americans—including those from just about every segment of the ideological spectrum—find themselves whipsawed these days. The nation we criticize so roundly is, of course, so much better than any of us deserve. Yet the nation we want to justify and defend is so much worse in many ways than we like to admit. How can the same society be both at the same time? "Don't worry," an insightful pastor friend reminded me last week. "Jesus couldn't have made it clearer that the tares and the wheat would...

Bumper crop The wheat and the tares: A great nation—beset by trouble Thoughtful Americans—including those from just about every segment of the ideological spectrum—find themselves whipsawed these days. The nation we criticize so roundly is, of course, so much better than any of us deserve. Yet the nation we want to justify and defend is so much worse in many ways than we like to admit. How can the same society be both at the same time? "Don't worry," an insightful pastor friend reminded me last week. "Jesus couldn't have made it clearer that the tares and the wheat would...

Lessons from Lisa A 9/11 Widow Trusts in the Sovereign Goodness of God On Sunday, September 8, 2002 John Piper preached from Romans 8:35-36 with a focus on the commemoration of the calamity of 9/11. "Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or danger, or sword? As it is written, ‘For your sake we are being killed all the day long; we are regarded as sheep to be slaughtered.’" He argued that Jesus Christ is mightily loving his people with omnipotent, moment-by-moment love that does not always rescue...

July 14, 2002 Justification by Faith:The Remedy for Paralyzed Sinners, Fallen Saints, and Provincial ChristiansGod did his most deadly work to destroy hopelessness and futility and provincial cowardice. He gave up his Son to torture and death. A perfect life, a perfect death, and the decisive work was done. But there are millions who are numb to hope because of the God-belittling things they have done and how ugly they have become. They don’t lift lofty arguments against God’s Truth; they shrug and feel irretrievably outside. They don’t defy God consciously; they default to cake and television. Except for the...

Sweden's shame Liberal Sweden, supposedly a land of tolerance, is about to make criticism of homosexuality a crimeBy Gene Edward VeithSweden is the liberal utopia. Confiscatory taxes fund a cradle-to-grave welfare state, with “free” health care, job security, and government regulation for all. Sexual freedom is taken for granted, to the point that the majority of Swedish couples live together without being married, and the majority of children are born out of wedlock. Sweden has become so tolerant that it is taking the next step: prosecuting those whom it considers intolerant, even if this means throwing out freedom of speech...

     ARE YOU SURE YOU LIKE SPURGEON?"The doctrine of justification itself, as preached by an Arminian, is nothing but the doctrine of salvation by works..." -- C.H. SpurgeonPraised by many evangelicals as a great preacher, Charles H. Spurgeon is considered a successful and "safe" example of a "non-theological" ministry. His works are recommended as a means to lead many aspiring pastors into developing their own successful ministries. His Lectures to My Students are often used for this purpose, emphasizing the "practical" aspects of evangelism. But while the form of Spurgeon's successful preaching is often studied by would-be pastors,...

Guest | Daniel James Hugger explains why Christians should abandon the 'religious right' Until about three years ago I was a die-hard right winger. I attended a rally in my hometown for George Bush Sr. in 1992 (at the tender age of nine!). I stayed up late reveling in the Republican revolution of 1994. I was in a state of shock for a week after the defeat of Bob Dole.But then something changed.I realized the right and even the religious right were quite wrong about many things. I felt betrayed by those who were supposed to be on my side,...

Monday, July 1, 2002 The Pledge of Allegiance: Watershed Moment or Factious Fad? by John H. Armstrong Over the last twenty years the Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit has earned a reputation for being wrong more than any other federal appeals court in the United States. The court struck again last week when it ruled, by a two to one vote, that the phrase "under God" in the Pledge of Allegiance makes it unconstitutional to recite the historic oath in our public schools. The court, based in San Francisco, ruled that the phrase is unconstitutional because it fails...

Loose framing Books for walking on treadmills or beachesBy Marvin OlaskyThe builder of my house once told me it was loosely framed, which I don't think was a good thing. My guess is that the person who designed the house and lived in it for several years changed her mind a few times as the house was under construction, leaving it with some curious angles. It's a wonderful, odd house, but it could have been a disaster, and some books—including Dave Burchett's When Bad Christians Happen to Good People (WaterBrook, 2002)—are like that. Mr. Burchett's book has problems but also...

Nothing to lose With no eternal risk, Christians are called to continual temporal riskBy John PiperLast month President Bush reflected on the national effect of 9/11. "We are a different nation today—sadder and stronger, less innocent and more courageous, more appreciative of life, and for many who serve our country, more willing to risk life in a great cause." Yes, and how much more true for those who are Christians first and Americans second? They serve the greatest cause in history, spreading allegiance to Jesus Christ for the joy of all people. Missionary Martin Burnham, dying in the Philippines, last...