Not many inhabitants of planet Earth have not seen the famous photo, taken on 8 June 1972, of Kim Phuc fleeing the Napalm attacks in Vietnam. Few pictures show the horrors of war as brutally as the iconic photo by the Vietnamese photographer Nick Út. Kim's story does not stop there however. Years later, having fled Vietnam for the USA, Kim accepted Jesus as her Saviour and committed her life to Him. Kim recounts, "It was the fire of the bomb that burned my body, and it was the skill of the doctor that mended my skin, but it took the power of God to heal my heart." "How Now Shall we Live", Charles Colson, pg 483.
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"This world is an uncertain realm filled with danger, where honour is undermined by the pursuit of power; freedom is sacrificed; the weak are oppressed by the strong. But there are those who oppose these powerful forces, who dedicate their lives to truth, honour and freedom." - The Three Musketeers!
Alexander Solzhenitsyn, not only argued against the worldview which had enslaved his own country through Communism, but he prophetically assessed a major flaw and deception in the prevailing worldview being embraced by the West. He said that a “destructive and irresponsible freedom had been granted boundless space.”
Banning tablets is best for kids
5:31pmChristopher Mims Latest guidelines recommend just one hour of screen time a day for kids, but most parents aren’t listening to advice. WSJ The end of this video reminded me of this great quote from C.S. Lewis: “When the whole world is running towards a cliff, he who is running in the opposite direction appears to have lost his mind.” As in the days of Nineveh, Australia faces a national crisis. Upon realizing their dire situation, their response was to proclaim a fast and for everyone to urgently call on God." The King decreed the national call for prayer and fasting saying, "Let them (us) give up their evil ways and their violence. Who knows? God may yet relent and with compassion turn from his fierce anger so that we will not perish.”
"On March 30, 1863, in the midst of the Civil War, President Abraham Lincoln called for a national day of prayer and fasting, in which he addressed what he called the need for "our national reformation as a whole people." Our leaders in Australia have not come to that position, but that does not mean we the people cannot urgently call on God in prayer and fasting and ask for His intervention to avert the crisis currently facing Australian society. "We have grown in numbers, wealth and power as no other nation has ever grown. But we have forgotten God," Lincoln said, adding that it was our duty "to humble ourselves before the offended Power, to confess our national sins and to pray for clemency and forgiveness...." How can we as Australians in 2016 do any less? Please continue or join churches, organizations, and individuals around Australia in this month October 2016 for a month of prayer and fasting. "It is time that we, as Christians, recognize our need to repent of our own wickedness and cry out to the Lord for forgiveness - and that He might heal our broken land (2 Chronicles 7:14)." We should heed the voices of the King of Nineveh and President Lincoln. They knew that God was the only one who could save us. Sources: Jonah 3 Canberra Declaration - Oct Call for Prayer and Fasting for Marriage AFA 4 Great Questions
In David Kinnaman's book "Good Faith," he describes four critical conversation starters to help you talk with your students about some of the most divisive issues of our day. What they are: Whether it's politics, gender confusion, video games, racial problems, or dating, ask your students these four questions to help frame every difficult conversation: 1. What is Right? (Celebrate it.) 2. What is Wrong? (Correct it.) 3. What is Missing? (Create it.) 4. What is Confused? (Clarify it.) Use these four questions to help your students develop conviction about their own beliefs, while cultivating compassion and respect for those who may disagree with them. Axis.org The Web and Our Humanity - Take Time Away from the Screen
LISTEN TO TODAY'S COMMENTARY SUBSCRIBE TO BREAKPOINT DAILY By JOHN STONESTREET 5th Oct 2016 Who doesn’t love the Internet? News, entertainment, shopping, connecting with friends? But what is it doing to our souls? Back in the mid-1990s, Andrew Sullivan, the former editor of the New Republic, learned he was HIV-positive. Twenty years later, a series of health issues, including infections that wouldn’t clear up, caused him to shut down his popular and influential blog, “The Dish.” The ironic, or perhaps telling, thing was that his HIV infection had little, if anything, to do with his health troubles. What was making him sick was the Internet. Sullivan tells this story in the cover story of the September 19th issue of New York Magazine, entitled “I Used to Be a Human Being.” In it he described his version of what is sometimes called “living in the web”: “For a decade and a half, I’d been a web obsessive, publishing blog posts multiple times a day, seven days a week . . . Each morning began with a full immersion in the stream of internet consciousness and news, jumping from site to site, tweet to tweet, breaking news story to hottest take . . .” The “reward” for this obsessiveness was being among the first people to make a living and a career out of what has been called “Web 2.0.” He turned being a blogger into a being a “brand.” The price was a “never-stopping,” “always updating” way of living that was incompatible not only with being healthy, but also, as the article’s title suggests, being truly human: “Vacations,” he wrote, “such as they were, had become mere opportunities for sleep,” and “my friendships had atrophied as my time away from the web dwindled.” Finally, in January of 2015, he walked away, not only from blogging but to a large extent from the web itself. He even attended a silent retreat as a kind of detox. If running people ragged was all that “living in the web” did to us, that would be bad enough. But Sullivan, like my BreakPoint colleague Shane Morris, is even more concerned about what it does to our souls. It has, in Sullivan’s words, caused “our oldest human skills to atrophy.” Within two decades, we’ve gone from phone calls to emails, to texts, to emojis. As Sullivan writes “We remove or drastically filter all the information we might get by being with another person. We reduce them to some outlines—a Facebook “friend,” an Instagram photo, a text message—in a controlled and sequestered world that exists largely free of the sudden eruptions or encumbrances of actual human interaction.” And that’s when we aren’t being nasty to one another. In his two-part BreakPoint article (which I encourage you to read at BreakPoint.org), Shane documents how the Web’s “dis-inhibitory effect” has brought out the worst in so many people: It’s altered our concept of sexuality and human intimacy; it has virtually destroyed journalism; and—as you can see if you dare to read comments online—it has made us meaner, crazier, and more paranoid. But most of all the noise of “living in the web” keeps us from seeing and hearing what’s good for our souls. Christians, more than anyone else, should know this. Consider Paul’s exhortation in Philippians 4: “Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy--think about such things.” Does the time spent on line help us consider these things? Jesus lived in a time that was, compared to ours, a still-life painting. And yet even then, he felt the need to regularly withdraw from the noise and distractions of his times. I doubt that any of us, starting with me, could last five minutes in the quietness of first-century Palestine. What Sullivan and Morris help us understand is that modern telecommunications technology is not “morally neutral.” It comes with a definition of what it means to be human that’s at root inhumane. The question is: how badly do we want to be human? And will we unplug to pursue It? ADD BREAKPOINT TO ITUNES NEXT STEPS The Web and Our Humanity: Take Time Away from the Screen Read Shane Morris's 2-part article, "The Case Against the Internet," linked below. Then why not take John's challenge--consider time away from the ubiquitous screens that take up so much of our time. That small step might prove extremely beneficial for your soul. RESOURCES The Case Against the Internet, Part 1 Shane Morris | BreakPoint.org | August 22, 2016 The Case Against the Internet, Part 2 Shane Morris | BreakPoint.org | August 24, 2016 I Used to Be a Human Being Andrew Sullivan | New York Magazine | September 18, 2016 Alone Together: Why We Expect More from Technology and Less from Each Other Sherry Turkle | Basic Books Publisher | October 2012 Courtesy: BreakPoint.org Oh for a generation who stand firm for truth without compromise.
"Compromise where you can, but where you cant, don't. Even if everyone is telling you that something wrong is something right. Even if the whole world is telling you to move. It is your duty to plant yourself like a tree, look them in the eye and say, NO, you move." (Founder of Shield, Peggy Carter in Captain America-Civil War) Oh for a generation who are not "tossed back and forth by the waves, and blown here and there by every wind of teaching and by the cunning and craftiness of people in their deceitful scheming." (Eph 4:14). Oh for a generation who will dedicate their lives to truth, honour and freedom. "This world is an uncertain realm filled with danger, where honour is undermined by the pursuit of power; freedom is sacrificed; the weak are oppressed by the strong. But there are those who oppose these powerful forces, who dedicate their lives to truth, honour and freedom." - The Three Musketeers. Oh for a generation who know God and the testimony of God's people through the generations. "The people served the Lord throughout the lifetime of Joshua and of the elders who outlived him and who had seen all the great things the Lord had done for Israel. Joshua son of Nun, the servant of the Lord, died at the age of a hundred and ten..." "After that whole generation had been gathered to their ancestors, another generation grew up who knew neither the Lord nor what He had done for Israel." Judges 2:7-8, 2:10 Or put another way by Tolkien in The Lord of the Rings: “The world has changed. I can feel it in the water. I feel it in the earth. I smell it in the air. Much that once was is lost; for none now live who remember it.” The Dictatorship of Relativism Absurdity Reigns--for Now By: Eric Metaxas|Published: September 21, 2016 7:00 AM No--you haven’t lost your mind. Things really are crazy out there. And you can thank something called the dictatorship of relativism. Listen Now | Download Does it kind of feel like folks have lost their minds? That we’ve taken a collective walk through the looking glass and nothing is logical, nothing really makes sense? That you can look people square in the eye, assert a scientific, biological fact such as “if you have an x and a y chromosome and you have male sexual organs, then you are not a woman,” only to have them accuse you of being a hater or on the wrong side of history? Or take abortion. Even some of the staunchest abortion supporters admit a fetus is a baby is a human being. But that doesn’t matter, because a woman has a right to do what she wants “with her own body.” It’s sort of kooky. How have we reached this level of absurdity? Well, as I explain in a recent article at Intercollegiate Review, welcome to “the dictatorship of relativism,” which, as Pope Benedict said, “does not recognize anything as for certain and which has as its highest goal one’s own ego and one’s own desires.” As I explain in the article, I first encountered this kind of pervasive relativism as an undergraduate at Yale. I came from a working-class background, I actually believed in the truth, that it was beautiful, and worth living for and even dying for. Imagine my surprise when I arrived at Yale (whose motto is “Lux et Veritas”—Latin for “light and truth”), to find out that much of the faculty and student body didn’t believe in Truth with a capital “T”. No, there were many truths, which of course told me that there was really no truth at all. Chuck Colson said to test the validity of a worldview, follow it to its logical conclusion. The logical conclusion of relativism is absurdity. Non-sense. A worldview that undermines its own premises. Not long after I graduated from Yale, Allan Bloom wrote his famous book, “The Closing of the American Mind: How Higher Education Has Failed Democracy and Impoverished the Souls of Today’s Students.” (There’s a subtitle for you!). Bloom wrote that “almost every student entering the university believes, or says he believes, that truth is relative. If this belief is put to the test . . . they will be uncomprehending. That anyone should regard the proposition as not self-evident astonishes them, as though he were calling into question 2 + 2 = 4.” Bloom then tells the story of his students’ response to the Hindu custom known as sati: burning a widow alive on her husband’s funeral pyre. The British, of course, banned the custom, and sharply reminded the Hindu priests that the British had a different custom: hanging men who burned women alive. How did the students react? Bloom said his students were so steeped in relativism they could only meekly reply “that the British should have never been there in the first place.” Heaven forbid they’d admit it’s wrong to burn women alive. With relativism so deeply ensconced in our schools and culture, it’s no wonder that Christianity is increasingly viewed with a jaundiced eye. After all, Christians assert that there is a capital “T” Truth, and that we are made in His image—and that therefore every human life is precious. We dare to believe in inviolable moral laws as well—you know, like marriage is sacred and adultery is wrong. We’re kind of crazy like that. But remember this next time you feel like despairing over the trajectory of our culture: The dictatorship of relativism is built on a self-contradicting foundation of sand. The truth, as Shakespeare wrote, will out. Always. I’ve got more to say in my article “The Dictatorship of Relativism.” Come to BreakPoint.org and click on this commentary. We’ll link you to it. Further Reading and Information The Dictatorship of Relativism: Absurdity Reigns--for NowAs Eric reminds us, relativism is built on a faulty foundation, and is self-contradictory by its very nature. To read Eric's article "The Dictatorship of Relativism Comes to the Campus" from the Intercollegiate Review, click on the link below. ResourcesThe Dictatorship of Relativism Comes to Campus Eric Metaxas | Intercollegiate Review | Fall 2016 Available at the online bookstoreThe Closing of the American Mind: How Higher Education Has Failed Democracy and Impoverished the Souls of Today's Students Allan Bloom | Simon & Schuster Publishers | April 2012 Courtesy: BreakPoint.org Progressively Regressive Sexuality
A Return to Pagan Morality By ERIC METAXAS Sexual progressives claim to be ushering in a “brave new world” of freedom. But their “new” morality is as old as the hills. How often have you heard sexual progressives claim that those of us who hold to traditional sexual morality and marriage are “on the wrong side of history?” But as one new book points out, it’s the proponents of the sexual revolution who are embracing a sexual morality that history left behind millennia ago—in the dusty ruins of the Roman Forum. Yes, today Western civilization is undergoing a dramatic cultural shift. In just a few short years our society has fundamentally altered the meaning of marriage, embraced the notion that men can become women, and is now promoting the idea that grown men should be welcome to share a bathroom with women and young girls. Not unexpectedly, we’re also seeing movement toward the normalization of polygamy, pedophilia, and incest. It’s precisely in times like this that we need some historical perspective. Which is why Lutheran pastor Matthew Rueger’s new book, “Sexual Morality in a Christless World,” is a timely godsend. In it, Rueger shows how Christian sexual morality rocked the pagan world of ancient Rome. The notions of self-giving love, sexual chastity, and marital fidelity were foreign, even shocking to the people of that time. Citing existing scholarship, Rueger details the Roman sexual worldview that prevailed for hundreds of years. Women and children were viewed as sexual objects; slaves—male and female--could expect to be raped; there was widespread prostitution; and predatory homosexuality was common. Christian sexual morality might have been seen as repressive by the licentious, but it was a gift from God for their victims. Rueger writes that “Claims in our day of being progressive and moving forward by accepting the ‘new prevailing views on sexuality and same-sex marriage' are horribly misinformed … Contemporary views about sexuality are simply a revival of an older and much less loving view of the world.” But they are also a revival of an older and impoverished view of human beings. Imagine the reaction of a pagan Roman slave girl who learned for the first time that she had value—not monetary value as a piece of goods to be enjoyed or discarded by her owner—but eternal value because she was made in the very image of God. Or imagine the pang of conscience felt by an unfaithful Roman husband when he learned that God became incarnate, and took on human flesh, and that how he treated his own body and the bodies of others mattered to God. Mattered immensely. Folks, we can’t look away and ignore this unholy revival of pagan sexuality and its cheapened view of human beings. But we also can’t wring our hands in fear or throw them up in defeat. As Rueger points out, Christ and His Church radically transformed a far more sexually cruel and chaotic world than ours. Look to those ancient believers who went before us: Rather than succumbing to or accommodating the spirit of the age, new converts in the early Church came to understand, as Rueger writes, that “Christian morality is based on Christ’s all-encompassing purity and self-emptying love…Christians could no longer live as the Greeks or Romans. Their worldview and self-view was distinctly different. They were now one with Christ in heart and soul.” Now, their distinctiveness, as Rueger writes, “would not spare them from suffering; it would invite suffering.” It’s pretty clear now that the same holds true for us. Will we bend the knee to this revived pagan sexuality, or will we hold out to a needy world the freedom of God’s plan for human sexuality? To get your copy of Matthew Rueger’s “Sexual Morality in a Christless World,” simply come to our online bookstore at BreakPoint.org. ADD BREAKPOINT TO ITUNES NEXT STEPS Progressively Regressive Sexuality: A Return to Pagan Morality The Christian worldview brought a revolution to the Roman culture of sexual licentiousness. There's certainly no reason to revisit that page in history, so as Eric said, let's demonstrate to our own culture God's beneficial plan for human sexuality. For further reading, click on the link below to get a copy of Matthew Rueger's book "Sexual Morality in a Christless World." RESOURCES Sexual Morality in a Christless World Matthew Rueger | Concordia Publishing House | June 2016 Other Resources Sex After Christianity Rod Dreher | The American Conservative | April 11, 2013 Judaism's Sexual Revolution: Why Judaism Rejected Homosexuality Chuck Colson | BreakPoint.org | October 10, 2014 http://www.breakpoint.org/bpcommentaries/entry/13/29815 The Lost Purpose for Learning
Rooting Dualism out of Christian Education LISTEN TO TODAY'S COMMENTARY SUBSCRIBE TO BREAKPOINT DAILY By JOHN STONESTREET 6-9-16 Christian education is much more than education with longer skirts and shorter hair. Here's a Christian vision for learning. Christian Overman, who directs the Seattle-based Worldview Matters and is a commissioned Colson Fellow, believes—and I largely agree—that we’ve lost the culture because we’ve lost our schools—including, in some cases, important distinctives that make Christian schools, well, Christian. “The shaping of nations begins in the minds of children,” Chris says. “Nation-shaping ideas acquired in elementary and secondary schools are not immediately felt on a national level because it takes time for little acorns to grow into giant oaks. But grow they will.” In a new, thought-provoking e-book, “The Lost Purpose for Learning,” Chris articulates clearly what has gone awry and offers a systemic, intentional, and repeatable solution for Christian school teachers and headmasters, Sunday school workers, and other church personnel who interact with students between the ages of 4 and 18. Come to BreakPoint.org/free to get a free copy of “The Lost Purpose for Learning” to read and to share. It’s simply “must-reading” for Christians involved in education. As Christian notes, in the years before the federal government took over teaching our children, education was largely a Christian endeavor—not just in the sense that it was run by Christians, but in that it was founded on Christian assumptions about God, life, the world, and humanity. And the primary assumption was that Christ is Lord of all—not just of so-called “religious” subjects, but of everything, including biology, math, even physics. When the government took over, some Christians, such as A.A. Hodge, warned that the schools would become indoctrination centers for atheism. Well, that’s not exactly what happened, Chris says. Instead, education became “secular” and officially neutral. God went from being the center of knowledge to the periphery. Education professionals taught their subjects not as if God doesn’t exist—at least not overtly—but as if He doesn’t matter. It’s not atheism but, as one author has called it, “practical atheism,” which included something even more insidious--dualism. “A dualist,” Chris says, “is one who… doesn't make any significant connection between God's Word and what goes on in the Monday through Friday workplace because … ‘faith’ is a personal, private matter, while the workplace is public, and therefore ‘secular.’” Indeed. This sort of dualism is often quite evident in so-called “Christian” education, too. Christian education, in many schools, is little more than education with Christianity sprinkled on top. Academics, but in a safe, Christian environment. Classes, but also Bible class and chapel. Of course, environment matters, and Bible classes are necessary, but in and of themselves, they’re not enough to make an education truly Christian. Richard John Neuhaus, in his article “The Christian University: Eleven Theses,” said that the word “Christian” is not a limiting label for an institution. “Rather, it’s the starting point, the end point, and the guiding inspiration along the way.” A holistically Christian education is an education with Christian goals, with a Christian vision, with Christian pedagogy, and with a Christian understanding of who it is that we’re actually teaching. Whenever we teach the next generation, we’re stewarding souls--not biological machines or mental computers made of meat, but God’s image-bearers, who as John Calvin would say, are inherently worshipers. And so in a sense, education teaches people how to worship, and Christian education should teach people how to worship well, in every area of life. In his e-book, “The Lost Purpose for Learning,” Christian Overman correctly identifies the inherent problem of dualism. Even better, he offers solutions. Please come to BreakPoint.org/free to get your free copy. The Lost Purpose for Learning: Rooting Dualism out of Christian Education For specific ways to reclaim learning in its best form and for clarity in recognizing the dualism Dr. Overman talks about, download the free copy of his book, The Lost Purpose for Learning Chris Overman | ebook Worldview Matters website The Christian University: Eleven Theses John Richard Neuhaus | First Things | January 1996 http://www.breakpoint.org/bpcommentaries/entry/13/29803 From AXIS.org.au
Sign up for "The Culture Translator" 2,617 Times A Day Is it surprising to learn that that's the average number of times we touch our smartphones throughout any given day? That's about 18,000 times per week or 1,000,000 per year. Never before in the history of mankind has a single item been so intimate and ever-present. These devices have only existed for 20 years or so and only been part of our everyday lives for the last 10, yet now we can't go anywhere without them. And younger generations are only becoming more and more addicted to their devices, having never known a time when they didn't exist. But it's never too early or too late to begin modeling and creating wise smartphone habits! To help, here are 8 articles to change our perspectives on how we use and allow our children to use technology. 1. How Technology Hijacks People's Minds Consider: What was most surprising? How can I talk about these concepts with my children? 2. Reboot Your Phone with Mindfulness Consider: Which of these suggestions can I implement right now? 3. Parents' Smartphones Harming Children's Ability to Hold Conversation, Say Teachers Consider: What are 3 simple things I can change in my device habits today? 4. 13, Right Now Consider: How can I better understand the world my teens inhabit? How can I encourage them to be deep thinkers, not just controllable consumers? 5. Don't Post about Me on Social Media, Children Say Consider: What part of my digital footprint could negatively impact my children? Do I need to apologize to them for something I've done on social media? Should you ask permission before posting something about your children online? 6. Six Wrong Reasons to Check Your Phone in the Morning Consider: Are my device habits worth it? What "candy" and/or "avoidance" do I seek? If this is true for me, how is it true for my teens? 7. US Parents Largely Unaware of What Their Children Do Online, Research Finds Consider: What might I be unaware of my children doing online? How can that impact them? 8. 19 Practical, Powerful Ways to Build Social-Emotional Intelligence in Kids & Teens Consider: How does phone/screen time impede these practices? SOURCE From Dan Flynn at ACL:
"As you are well aware, the Safe Schools program is a controversial program that seeks to promote gender fluidity under the guise of an anti-bullying campaign. Whilst all children should feel safe at school and bullying should not be tolerated, the Safe Schools program has been rightly criticised for its materials and promotion of acts such as cross-dressing, chest binding (so that girls can appear as boys), and refraining from referring to students as “girls and boys”. In 2018, this so-call “Safe Schools” program will become compulsory in all Victorian public high schools. For detailed information on the program and its contents, please download our Safe Schools Brief. Importantly, we urge you to please sign this petition calling on the Victorian Government to give parents the right to withdraw their children from the controversial program. SIGN HERE Could you please circulate this petition. Every parent should have the right to have a say about their child’s education. Our children are too precious to be exploited by this mandatory Marxist gender theory." SOURCE: ACL The “New Proletariat” are the “New Pharisees” of our time, rejecting anything from God and making up man made laws, and promoting themselves and their views as being morally superior. It is the form that the “New Marxism” has taken. The old has become new. There is, as King Solomon once wisely said, “ nothing new under the sun”.
In this deception riddled war on marriage, family, fathers, children and true freedom, there is one true, just and noble cause and it is not to wave colourful flags and fall for the failed utopian Marxist propaganda, it is to rise up, see through the deceptions, and repel this assault on our once free country. The true counter-culture revolutionaries today are those who stand up and defend the truth, that which was secured for us with the blood of the ANZACS. They will be remembered in history as the heroes of our time, not those loudly proclaiming totalitarian political and social nonsense which damages our children, divides our communities and destroys our freedoms. Be bold in your defence of these good things. They are worth defending. You will be found on the right side of history. Impossible People
A Manifesto for Our Moment SUBSCRIBE TO BREAKPOINT DAILY By ERIC METAXAS Once in a while, a book comes along that reminds me of those “you are here” labels on hiking maps. I want to tell you about such a book, and how it can reorient you. In the opening scene of the 2001 film adaptation of “The Fellowship of the Ring,” Cate Blanchett’s Galadriel whispers hauntingly, “The world has changed. I can feel it in the water. I feel it in the earth. I smell it in the air. Much that once was is lost; for none now live who remember it.” Western Christians in 2016 can relate. Something has shifted. The world we inhabit seems to have become disenchanted, and so many of those around us have entered a state in some ways worse than atheism—a state of indifference toward God and the supernatural. All of this has made evangelism and discipleship a lot more challenging. As sociologist Peter Berger wrote, we live in “a world without windows.” And for the inhabitants of windowless late modernity, questions about sin, salvation and ultimate meaning just don’t matter that much. So, how did we get here? And more importantly, what does being a Christian look like in this context? Os Guinness, who needs no introduction, says the only right response today is to become what he calls “Impossible People.” That’s the name of his latest book, appropriately subtitled, “Christian Courage, and the Struggle for the Soul of Civilization.” Folks, this book is a manifesto for our moment—a guide on how to live counter-culturally in what Os describes as our “cut-flower civilization.” But what about the bizarre term “impossible people”? Where does that come from? Well, it was originally applied to eleventh-century Benedictine reformer, Peter Damian. Among other things, this “impossible man” spoke out against the practice of selling church positions for money as well as against widespread sexual sin among the clergy. His commitment to Jesus alone was so fierce that he won a reputation for being, as Os puts it, “unmanipulable, unbribable, and undeterrable.” “Impossible people,” Os explains, “are different people. And different they are called to be or they will be irrelevant.” But that’s not easy in our cultural moment. We live in a civilization that has rejected its own foundations and embarked on a project to build what he calls a new, secular Babel. But it’s becoming ever clearer that this secular Utopia can’t hold together. Why? Because the very belief in freedom that made Western liberal democracies uniquely successful is crumbling, replaced by the concept of consensus. As Os points out, the Christian doctrines of the Imago Dei, of Original Sin, and transcendent truth undergird our belief in freedom. Secular modernity lacks these foundational doctrines. Like a cut flower, it can maintain its beauty only so long without its roots. Soon it will wilt, and ultimately die. “Impossible people” are here precisely to arrest this decline—to frustrate the secular project by consciously living out a belief in a supernatural reality beyond our windowless world. Os issues this timely call, and maps out a strategy for “impossible people” to take up Damian’s mantle and stubbornly refuse to conform. Now, this book is absolutely prophetic; it is also fun to read. Most of all, it’ll give you a lay of the spiritual landscape and, as our BreakPoint assistant editor Shane Morris puts it, “a buoying sense of how silly the secular experiment really is.” I’m pleased to add that Os will be speaking at our 2017 William Wilberforce Weekend, along with Ravi Zacharias and many others. So please come to BreakPoint.org to pick up a copy of “Impossible People,” and we’ll also tell you how to register for the conference, where we’ll explore what it means to be unmanipulable, unbribable, undeterrable, impossible people. Impossible People: Christian Courage and the Struggle for the Soul of Civilization Os Guinness | IVP Books | July 2016 Information on the 2017 Wilberforce Weekend Wilberforce Weekend 2017 From SaltShakers.org.au:
"Over the years we have written about the influence of US billionaire George Soros and his Open Society Foundation - and the funding that is provided by Soros to left-leaning organisations. We've also regularly exposed the activities of GetUp!, the very left-leaning political organisation in Australia that opposes anything conservative and promotes socialist ideals. In the recent election, GetUp! campaigned against conservative MPs - as Jennifer Oriel says, rebranding them as "hard Right", while at the same time "recasting the Left as moderate or progressive". In this must-read article, Jennifer Oriel reveals that recently 'hacked' files expose the extent of the influence that George Soros has on western politics, including immigration, and the threat this is to national sovereignty. She includes information about funding provided to GetUp! by George Soros, the campaign run by GetUp! during the recent election, and the fact that Bill Shorten was one of the first Board members! Dr Jennifer Oriel is a columnist at The Australian - but she also has a PhD in political science (info here - website here). Read the article - click on title __________________________ Article: Dumped files show influence of George Soros on Western politics Saltshakers.org,au The German government is to issue instructions urging its citizens to stock up on essential food and medical items to prepare for attacks or catastrophe for the first time since the end of the Cold War, according to reports. According to details leaked to the German press they include advice to citizens to stockpile enough food for 10 days and clean drinking water for five days.
While the Australian media and their left-wing extremist politician comrades continue their rainbow coloured war on God, Christians, marriage, family, fathers, children and freedom, and parrot their utopian nonsense that Islam is a "religion of peace" and that the only reason there are terrorists is because of socio-economic reasons, the German government are becoming more fully-informed about the enemy at the gates of Europe and the west. The one with the less colourful flag that is. The other one, the more colourful, proud and loud one, still has everyone hoodwinked, but is very much at the gates and has very much the same end-game in mind: authoritarian rule i.e. no opposition allowed, no prisoners taken, oppression of humanity at its worse. http://www.msn.com/en-au/news/world/germans-told-to-stockpile-food-and-water-in-civil-defence-plan/ar-BBvXdRu?li=AAavLaF&ocid=spartanntp Why Steph Curry’s Faith Matters From The Daily Signal: "Whatever happens in the NBA finals, Steph Curry should be on every box of Wheaties. His example is just the antidote to many of the ills currently holding America back. In an age of vulgarity, he’s humble; in a season of cynicism, he’s a religious family man; in a time of grievance mongering, he peddles grace. In an age of vulgarity, he’s humble; in a season of cynicism, he’s a religious family man; in a time of grievance mongering, he peddles grace. Of course, it is first and foremost his prowess on the court that has earned Curry accolades. Just this week, he scored 36 points in game seven of the conference finals to finally put away Oklahoma City, a team to which Curry’s Golden State Warriors had fallen down 3-1. Without the fact that he’s the best player in the NBA, Curry would not be on any breakfast box. But the reason he should be is that he is a much-needed counterbalance to a culture that is increasingly trashy. Whether Curry leads this Golden State Warriors to victory over the Cleveland Cavaliers or not in the NBA Finals, he has shown us that virtue can trump vice. Curry’s family is intact, and his daughters, 4-year-old Riley and 1-year-old Ryan, were born after Curry married his wife Ayesha (to whom he proposed on the same spot he first gave her a kiss). He grew up under the watchful eye of his father, Dell, also an NBA player in his time. Dell and his wife Sonya, Steph’s mom, are often at games. At events like awards presentations, Steph thanks his family, right down to sister Sydel and his brother Seth (who are on hand when they are not engaging in their own busy sports careers). But before doing all that, the deeply religious Curry thanks God for his talents, which he knows are a gift that he must nurture. Yes, so far, journalists have spared Curry of the mockery and disdain they poured on Tim Tebow. Many Americans may not know this wholesome story because the media doesn’t really tell it. Yes, so far, journalists have spared Curry of the mockery and disdain they poured on Tim Tebow, the last athlete to publicly display flashes of morality. But Google “Steph Curry and God” and you get next to nothing outside the religious press. And yet this is a story, if we still define what makes one as anything that is “man bites dog.” The athlete that beats up his girlfriend, uses drugs for recreation or athletic enhancement, is arrogant and self-important, and has children out of wedlock, is sadly more “dog bites man.” And yet, those are the stories the media harp on incessantly. Granted, Curry does have a tattoo—of 1 Corinthians 13:8. When he scores, he points to heaven to remind himself he is playing for God. When he makes three pointers, he donates nets to help prevent malaria in Africa. He explained the impact of his family and faith in a 2013 Fellowship of Christian Athletes magazine article. Here’s part of it: Our whole family was very close in fact, even when it came to school. My mom started a Christian Montessori school when I was in first grade, so we all went there together—Mom was in charge as the head mistress, our aunt was our teacher, and our grandmother was the cook. My brother and sister and I were blessed to have such great influences in our lives, and I can honestly say that my mom and dad were the best. They raised us to believe in God, and we were at church every Wednesday for youth Bible studies and every Sunday for services. In his acceptance speech after winning the 2014-15 NBA Most Valuable Player award, he laid out his secret formula for success as faith, family, and perseverance. “Work your butt off,” he said. “I hope I inspire people all around the world to just be themselves, be humble, and be grateful for all the blessings in your life.” This is a mix that time and again leads to success, and yet we seldom celebrate it. Curry, at 28, shows a wisdom lacking in many of his peers. And although he could still disappoint us someday, at least thus far, the answer to Simon and Garfunkel’s 1968 haunting question can be answered, “Don’t worry, America. Joltin’ Joe is in the Bay Area, playing basketball.” http://dailysignal.com/2016/06/02/why-steph-currys-faith-matters/ "The people served the Lord throughout the lifetime of Joshua and of the elders who outlived him and who had seen all the great things the Lord had done for Israel. Joshua son of Nun, the servant of the Lord, died at the age of a hundred and ten..." "After that whole generation had been gathered to their ancestors, another generation grew up who knew neither the Lord nor what He had done for Israel." Judges 2:7-8, 2:10
Or put another way by Tolkien in The Lord of the Rings: “The world has changed. I can feel it in the water. I feel it in the earth. I smell it in the air. Much that once was is lost; for none now live who remember it.” A message from Rt Rev David Cook, Moderator of the Presbyterian Church of Australia:
9th Aug 2016 "A Sovereign Protector I have..... " The book of Esther is surely a unique piece of literature. Xerxes, the King of Persia, is a named over 100 times; Mordecai, who was to become Xerxes' Prime Minister, is named 51 times and Esther is named 42 times. Yet, the central character in the book is God Himself and He is never named. His hidden hand is never acknowledged. The book is full of coincidences whereby God delivers His people from a Persian edict of extermination. Natural explanations can always be made about such coincidences, eg. that Esther just happened to be available and be qualified to be Xerxes' queen, when he was looking for someone to replace Queen Vashti. Natural explanations can be made and yet natural explanations never tell the whole story. The book of Esther is another reminder that God is in control of all things, not just some things. God is well able to use peoples' evil intentions to bring about His good purpose. Joseph's brothers; the evil Prime Minister of Persia, Haman; the weak Roman Governor of Palestine, Pontius Pilate; the able Jewish lobbyists, who demanded the death sentence for Jesus ; and later the deacon Stephen, are all examples that the Sovereign Lord 'rules the peoples justly and guides the nations of the earth' (Psalm 67:4). The early church knew this. In response to the threats of the Sanhedrin they prayed to the 'Sovereign Lord' (Acts:4:24) and recognised that Herod, Pilate and others 'did what Your power and will decided beforehand should happen' (Acts 4:28). We don't know who will occupy the White House from next January, but whoever it is, 'The king's heart is in the hands of the Lord; He directs it like a watercourse wherever He pleases' (Proverbs 21:1). Presidents Xi and Putin, Chancellor Merkel, Prime Ministers May and Turnbull, are all pawns in the hands of the Sovereign Lord. 'There is no wisdom, no insight, no plan that can succeed against the Lord.' (Proverbs 21:30). I am not writing this column to justify a fatalistic attitude or any indolence on our part as we face the future. I am writing to combat pervasive fear arising from the latest conspiracy theory doing the rounds of the talk back radio stations of the nation. We have no need to fear. Our trust is in the Sovereign Lord who does all things well, and works always for the ultimate good of His people (Romans 8:28), that we become more and more like the Lord Jesus (Romans 8:29). Scratch the surface of all human events, examine the so called coincidences, and not very deep beneath the surface an omniscient, powerful, purposeful hand will be evident. Re-read the book of Esther and be reminded how Mordecai the Jew, at a precarious time in his people's history, becomes Prime Minister of the Persian empire, just as Joseph had done many centuries before in Egypt. Pharaoh has a recurring dream; Xerxes can't sleep; God uses these everyday events to elevate people to high office to be the means of deliverance for His people Israel. Then remember that the greatest deliverance of all was from our greatest enemy, Satan, by a most unexpected means - the death, not of the tyrant, but of the deliverer. This deliverance is so unusual that the world calls it foolishness (1 Corinthians 1:23). Revelation 21 and 22 reminds us that the day is coming when God's hiddenness will be no more! The Lamb of God will be enthroned and God and the Lamb will be the Light and lamp of the nations (Revelation 21:23). Hidden and unacknowledged will be the things of the past as God, His plan and purpose to unite all things under the rule of Christ will be acknowledged by all who ever lived. 'At the name of Jesus every knee shall bow.... and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.' (Philippians 2:10-11). David Cook PCA Website Here's what we thought was worthwhile this week:
1. Doubt exists in every heart to some degree. J. Warner Wallace writes here about how Jesus handled doubt in his ministry life and how we can respond similarly. 2. Conversation goes from cordial to chaos fast these days. Ed Stetzer gives guidance to have dialogue for the public good. 3. Over at First Things, Mark Movsesian highlights trends with Millennials and classical liberalism. “An astonishing 35 percent of wealthy young Americans say it would be ‘a ‘good’ thing for the army to take over’ the country!” 4. Sean McDowell helps us think about studying the Bible better in his article at Talbot’s School of Theology Blog. 5. While the Olympics are emblematic of the power of the human spirit and international goodwill, WORLD Magazine highlights three Americans who brought their faith to the starting line and won. SummitMinistries.org Who Has the Majority?
"And he answered, Fear not: for they that be with us are more than they that be with them." (2 Kings 6:16) "Horses and chariots and a great host shut up the prophet in Dothan. His young servant was alarmed. How could they escape from such a body of armed men? But the prophet had eyes which his servant had not, and he could see a greater host with far superior weapons guarding him from all harm. Horses of fire are mightier than horses of flesh, and chariots of fire are far preferable to chariots of iron. Even so is it at this hour. The adversaries of truth are many, influential, learned, and crafty; and truth fares ill at their hands; and yet the man of God has no cause for trepidation. Agencies, seen and unseen, of the most potent kind, are on the side of righteousness. God has armies in ambush which will reveal themselves in the hour of need. The forces which are on the side of the good and the true far outweigh the powers of evil. Therefore, let us keep our spirits up, and walk with the gait of men who possess a cheering secret, which has lifted them above all fear. We are on the winning side. The battle may be sharp, but we know how it will end. Faith, having God with her, is in a clear majority: "They that be with us are more than they that be with them." Charles Spurgeon |
Craig MannersWhile much of what is written in this Blog may currently appear to be counter-cultural, given our post-truth culture, it is in no way counter-human beings. I am always for people no matter what they think, do, or may have done in their past. Where I put forward ideas or debate against certain ideology, behaviour, ideas, movements, politics, I remain very much on the side of the human beings even though I may be opposed to their worldview, behaviour and politics. Such opposition is generally out of concern for the ultimate consequences of such behaviour or ideas, especially for children. |