DIETRICH BONHOEFFER’S ESCHATOLOGY OF DEATH

Posted on by markwchristy
God created Adam and Eve and bestowed upon them His own image. God desires humanity to bear His image with gratitude and obedience. Though Adam and Eve fully possessed God’s image, Satan tempted them into believing that they must do something else to be like God. By choosing to disobey God, Adam and Eve chose their own way. When Adam and Eve ate the fruit on the tree of knowledge, they brought death into themselves as God had forewarned them earlier.[i] Instead of enforcing upon man the full...
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The American Approach to Shooting God’s Messenger

Posted on by markwchristy
Speaking to His Jewish audience, Jesus said, “O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the city that kills the prophets and stones those sent to her! How often I wanted to gather your children together, just as a hen gathers her brood under her wings, and you would not have it!” (Luke 13:34 NASB; cf. 1 Thess 2:14-16). Throughout God’s dealings with His people in the Old Testament, they repeatedly chose to attack His messenger and disavow His message. In the time that Jesus walked the earth, King Herod chose ...
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Cessation – 5 Arguments

Posted on by markwchristy
According to Ephesians 2:20, prophecy is connected with the foundation of the church.Gift of apostle is no longer operative.Signs, wonders, and miracles are connected with true apostleship (2 Cor12:12); Sign gifts may not be the property of all believers.Purpose of the Tongues is to attest to new revelation (Heb 2:1-4).Tongues without attendant prophecy is absurd (1 Cor 14:6); and if there is attendant prophecy then sola scriptura is violated.
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Was Jesus Privileged?

Posted on by markwchristy
Quite frequently, I hear discussions in the media about privilege, especially white privilege. Usually this word is invoked to stifle the conversation of the one who is privileged in favor of the one deemed less privileged. As I considered this prevailing phenomenon, I could not help but ask, Is this concept biblical? Should we evaluate members of society based on external characteristics and matters of choice, apportion to each a degree of privilege or lack thereof, confess our inability due t...
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Silenced for My Privilege, Attitude, and Lack of Christian Love…

Posted on by markwchristy
Recently I posted this comment....During the days of Paul, the NT writers spoke in defense of the gospel against such heresies as proclaimed by the Gnostics and the Judaizers. Like them, we need to be acutely aware of any prevailing worldly philosophy that undermines the gospel. Black Lives Matter is little more than a clever attempt to push identity politics, critical race theory, intersectionality, and social justice theory, all of which are rooted in the atheistic philosophy of cultural Marx...
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Jesus response to the oppression of Jews by the Romans

Posted on by markwchristy
Luke 13 Now there were some present at that time who told Jesus about the Galileans whose blood Pilate had mixed with their sacrifices. 2 Jesus answered, “Do you think that these Galileans were worse sinners than all the other Galileans because they suffered this way? 3 I tell you, no! But unless you repent, you too will all perish. 4 Or those eighteen who died when the tower in Siloam fell on them—do you think they were more guilty than all the others living in Jerusalem? 5 I tell you, no! But...
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God’s Response to Social Injustice: Biblical Love Defined

Posted on by markwchristy
Many today are claiming Christ and advocating love, especially in these times of social unrest. Both sides of the current debate see injustices that pervade society from their perspectives and desire for a more perfect (comfortable) society. Instead of viewing the world with ourselves as the center, maybe we should revisit Scripture to see how God would respond to the unjust. Let us look at Jonah to see how God chooses to express His love to those who are deemed unjust. "The word of the Lord ca...
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The Politics of Hate

Posted on by markwchristy
One day, I decided to ask my Chinese college students what they would wish for if they had three wishes. One student proudly stood up and wished that every Japanese person would die. In shock, I felt obligated to respond with a discussion on the politics of hate. Here it is in a nutshell. From the time my students were children, the government had repeatedly reminded them of the evils perpetrated by the Japanese in WWII. They were told to never forgive and never forget. Why? The government wish...
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The Connection between Social Justice and Communism Simplified

Posted on by markwchristy
Many Americans, I think, fail to see the connection between communism and the current political landscape. Essentially, communism tries to rectify society's problems by reforming the system. The system, in other words, becomes the sinner and the one in need of change. Focus in this atheistic worldview is wrongly taken off of the individual. The gospel of repentance from sin and forgiveness in Christ is lost. In the current climate where social justice is being advocated, many may still fail to ...
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The Church on the Wrong Side of Justice Historically? -Debunked

Posted on by markwchristy
A thought shared with me on this matter.....“One of the disturbing things about Church history is the Church’s appalling track record of being on the wrong side of the great social issues of the day.” “What will our grandchildren ask us when they look back twenty-five or fifty years from now and wonder how we could have just sat by and watched when justice was demanded?”Response 1I am sorry, but I have to object. Just because some Muslims hold to a more violent understanding of Islam and commit...
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