From 2009-10-02

It is 5pm and 300 DVDs have already been given away!

Update – this is a new experience for us.  Overall, Friday was fast and furious – we concluded the day having given away approximately 570 DVDs, and – having had a number of blessed conversations with passers-by about mankind’s need for Christ.  We’ve also had a few moments with the KJV “fighting fundy” types – a few conversations were rather contentious.  At one point (after stepping away for a few minutes), I came upon two people who were being contentious with my eldest daughter – Hannah.  I diffused the moment quickly, but was reminded by it that the American “church” is rife with much confusion and conflict.  Frankly speaking, this is one of the reasons that we’re out here today.  No matter who we speak with, our desire is to pass along the truth of God’s Word.

This year we will have an opportunity to be at the Dixie Classic Fair here in Winston-Salem NC.  For those of you outside of NC, this fair is a fairly big event here in the Piedmont Triad area (Winston-Salem, Greensboro, and High Point).  We have on hand 12 cases of the “Where Do You Stand?” DVD on hand to give away.  Of course, we hope to do more than just hand out DVDs – we are looking forward to talking to people about the very contents of the 12 videos thus featured: 

1.  Do We Live in a Pointless Universe?
As scientists continue to research the vastness of space, we are discovering that the universe is much larger than we have ever imagined.  Because of these ongoing findings within cosmology, many have surmised that mankind is utterly insignificant.  As well, if it is true that the Universe will continue to expand forever into a cold and lifeless void, can it be said that “We live in a Pointless Universe?”

2.  Philosophy vs. True Science.
Can it be argued that the Universe “created itself out of nothing” as posited by Mr. Stephen Hawking?  Is such a supposition the product of philosophy or empirical science – and does it matter?  Will C.E.R.N.’s Large Hadron Particle Accelerator be able to unlock the universe’s deepest secrets?

3.  “Religulous” – by Bill Maher
Bill Maher’s movie “Religulous” argues that religion is harmful to humanity, and that all forms of theism amount to a single genre of foolishness called “religion.”  Is he entirely wrong, or entirely right?; or does he make some valid points within his movie?

4.  The Reality of “Atheism”
Atheism is one of the fastest growing movements in America.  What is Atheism, and how is it that atheists can come to such a conviction that there is no God?  As well, why are the advocates of atheism becoming more active in advancing their viewpoints?

5.  God is not Great?
Christopher Hitchens’ book – “god is not Great” has become very popular throughout the world.  He, like Bill Maher, argues that theism is “child abuse” and is a “poisonous branch that should have been snapped off long ago…” p. 275.  Is religion a dangerous and poisonous branch within mankind?

6.  The Dangers of Violent Religion
No one can deny that many acts of violence have been committed in the name of religion.  This is true today, and it has been true for centuries.  But why is this so?  What relationship does religion have with such violence?

7.  All Men are Created Equal?
Can it really be said that “all men are created equal?”  Were men “created” and in what sense does the notion of “race” factor into this question?  As well, is “racialism” a valid concept of the human race?

8.  Religion, Politics & True Hope
Perhaps you have seen examples where religious faith has been used for the sake of political advantage.  Is there anything wrong with using spiritual terms to describe our American politics & patriotism? 

9.  My Country ‘Tis of Me?
The hymn “America” supplies some very important lessons about the nature of our nation’s independence, dependence, and liberty.  What is that message, and why is it still so important for our own day and age?

10.  True Patriotism
Do you consider yourself to be a good American patriot?  What does it mean to be a patriot, and how might one live out such patriotism?  As well, does your sense of patriotism change at all based upon who is  serving in leadership at the time? 

11.  The Failures of Mere Religion & Atheism
What good can religion, agnosticism, or even atheism bring to a person?  This video presents an important query about all three belief systems.

 12.  A Song of True Liberty
The hymn “America,” or “My Country ‘Tis of Thee” is considered to be our nation’s second national anthem.  In this hymn, America is called a “sweet land of liberty.”  How was this liberty forged, and what is the ultimate message of this historic hymn?

We will be “live blogging” the event over the next 10 days.  We ask for your prayers that the Word of God would run and have success (2 Thess. 3:1-2) as we may have opportunity to describe to others the anatomy of this important question – “Where do you stand?”

On Thursday, August 20th 2009, Abdel Basset Al-Megrahi, the man who was convicted of murdering 270 men, women, and children on Pan Am Flight 103 in 1988, safely returned to his home country of Libya as a free man.  All this took place because the Scottish government felt compassion for Al-Megrahi in view of the fact that he has terminal prostate cancer – it would appear that he doesn’t have long to live. 

Fortunately for Al-Megrahi, his flight home was a safe and uneventful one.

It is an odd subtext to Al-Megrahi’s story: the man who murdered scores of human beings by blowing up their airplane, safely travelled home in…an airplane.  But there is a reason why his flight was safe and uneventful: it is because Al-Megrahi lives in a world that is, to a greater extent, civil and orderly.  Despite the darkness of Mr Al-Megrahi’s own beliefs, many in the world today still hold to a belief in something that is called free agency: a concept that Mr. Al-Megrahi considers to be a reprehensible threat to Islam.  You see, free agency stipulates that human beings are free to account for their own thoughts and actions as individuals.  At a very fundamental level, this doctrine is rooted in the Old Testament Scriptures (Ezekiel 18:20).  The opposite of free agency would be the belief which says that people aren’t free to live as the advocates of their own thoughts and actions.  In other words – those who deny free agency often resort to the destruction of those who have a differing belief system.  In Mr Al-Megrahi’s language, this would be summarized in the expression: “slay the infidel” (Surah 8:7, 9:5, 47:4).

It is this principle of free agency and personal responsibility that enables free societies to exist, subsist, and even thrive.  Even a moderately studied student of early American history well knows that our own nation was founded on this very principle of free agency.  It enables freedom of religious belief, freedom of uncertainty, and even freedom of unbelief. 

In brief, free agency removes vengeance from the hands of fallible men, even enabling those who deny such a principle to “fly the friendly skies.”

As for Scotland’s gesture of “compassion” towards this mass murderer, we must remember that compassion without justice is nothing more than corrupt human sentimentality (Genesis 9:6).  As Christians we know that the injustice of this event will be fully and perfectly handled by the One who alone has the right of redemption and vengeance.

Hosea 4:1-2: 1 Listen to the word of the Lord, O sons of Israel, For the Lord has a case against the inhabitants of the land, Because there is no faithfulness or kindness Or knowledge of God in the land. 2 There is swearing, deception, murder, stealing and adultery. They employ violence, so that bloodshed follows bloodshed.

Whatever one thinks about the subject of healthcare, all should be appalled by the manner in which the debate is being conducted, or avoided.  Clearly, the sins of swearing and deception are not new to the American political scene – these things have been around since the fall of man.  What is so disturbing is that there appears to be no sense of personal shame for the hypocrisy that often attends the politics of our nation’s leaders.  Contemporary news is rife with illustrations which reveal an America that more resembles the Israel of ancient history, to whom the Lord said: “My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge” Hosea 4:6.

May God have mercy on America:

Are all men created equal?  Yes, they are, but how can we know this for certain?  Some people, if they were forthright about the matter, would have to say no.  For example, the secularist shuns the idea of mankind being created at all.  And, if we were to consult  Darwinism on this question we would discover a philosophy which teaches that some so-called “human races” are more favorable than others – debunking the idea of essential equality among humans.  For example, Darwin’s work entitled “The Origin of Species” – Originally had an alternate title, which reads –

“The Preservation of Favoured Races in the Struggle of Life.” 

Now Darwin’s notion of such racialism (the idea that some races have more favorable qualities than others), is clearly displayed in his writings – particularly in this cryptic passage, where he says: 

“At some future period… the civilized races of man will almost certainly exterminate and replace the savage races throughout the world. At the same time the anthropomorphous apes will no doubt be exterminated.  The break between man and his nearest allies will then be wider, for it will intervene between man in a more civilized state, as we may hope, even than the Caucasian, and some ape as low as a baboon, instead of as now between the negro or Australian and the gorilla.” 

Darwin believed that those with dark skin were more closely related to primates.  Most modern copies of “The Origin of Species” will conveniently omit Darwin’s alternate title in an effort to dissociate the hypothesis of evolution from the notion of racialism – but discerning minds should know better. 

But should one dare argue that Darwinism is the root source of racism…or does the idea of racialism have an earlier beginning?  I would submit to you that all men, by virtue of sinful pride and arrogance, are naturally prone to believe in some form of racialism.  As an illustration of this, we see that ancient Athenian mythology (for example) was used in order to advance a very aggressive form of racialism.  The ancient Athenians believed that they were autochthonous – meaning that they were literally derived out of their own native soil.  In addition to this, they believed that they originated through a complex interaction of several deities.  Through the union of Gaia and Hephaistus – came a child named Erechtheus (Erechthoneus)* – who was said to be begotten out of the earth and was then raised by the goddess Athena.  This mythological genealogy was so important to the Athenians that they often refered to themselves as Erechtheidai (sons of Erechtheus).  Such a name as this reminded them of their supposed superior lineage.

This is just one historic illustration of how mankind is inclined to believe in the notion of “favored races” – especially when they themselves possess whatever traits are deemed as favorable.  Clearly, Darwin didn’t invent this idea of “favored races” – this is an ancient notion that is rooted in historic mythology and paganism. 

Now think for a moment about those ancient Athenians.  What if you had the opportunity to speak to a crowd of these ancient “Erechtheidai” – these proud and superior descendents of Erechtheus?  Well – the Apostle Paul did just that when he preached in the city of Athens.  We read about this event in Acts 17:

Acts 17:22-26: 22 So Paul stood in the midst of the Areopagus and said, “Men of Athens, I observe that you are very religious in all respects. 23 “For while I was passing through and examining the objects of your worship, I also found an altar with this inscription, ‘TO AN UNKNOWN GOD.’ Therefore what you worship in ignorance, this I proclaim to you. 24 “The God who made the world and all things in it, since He is Lord of heaven and earth, does not dwell in temples made with hands; 25 nor is He served by human hands, as though He needed anything, since He Himself gives to all people life and breath and all things; 26 and He made from one man every nation of mankind to live on all the face of the earth, having determined their appointed times and the boundaries of their habitation…

What Paul declared in the city of Athens was very bold.  He began by explaining that the Athenians were worshipping in ignorance of the truth (a bold enough statement by itself).  But he went further by teaching them that mankind is not divided by distinct races, but that we are all members of a single race – called the human race – and that the one true God created all the nations of mankind through one human source.  With this one brief sermon, Paul had exposed the ignorance of Athenian racialism, while revealing the supremacy and Lordship of the one true creator of everything.  For Paul to say these things to a group of people who were convinced of their own supremacy would be like visiting a clan rally and proclaiming the biblical truth that God is not a respecter of persons – whether their skin is white, black, yellow or brown.  What Paul did was quite bold – but for the sake of the Gospel, it was necessary.

The Bible refutes the fallacious notion of multiple races, because by definition, the notion of race is rooted in genealogy – not skin color.  And since all men are derived from one human source by the handiwork of the one true God, it makes no sense to speak of multiple races.  To be sure, there are differing tribes, tongues, peoples, and nations (Rev. 5:9) – but there certainly is no such thing as “multiple races,” nor is skin color to be seen as an important distinction among men.  To say that race can be defined by means of skin color makes as much sense as saying that race can be defined by eye color or even hair color.  The legacy of this form of thinking is indeed horrific – and it reveals that those who want to believe in a “favored race” do so by means of great pride, arrogance, and mostly – great ignorance.

So how confident can we be to utter the saying that “all men are created equal?”  Very confident, because our basis of assurance on this matter is established from the authority of the One who made from one man every nation of mankind to live on all the face of the earth…”

Those who wish to compel others to look at the world through the prism of skin color, rather than our shared humanity and individual character, only serve to increase the fear and resentment of racism in our nation and in the world.  And many of these individuals are actually undoing the best achievements of the civil rights movement by placing such a stilted emphasis on the color of one’s skin – as if this were the most significant aspect of the human experience – such an emphasis as this is nothing less than sin.  And such racialism cannot end apart from the transforming work of Christ through the power of the Gospel…

*Note: The original identity being Erechthonius, but a possible later descendent named Erechtheus became prominent within the overall mythology.  By the time that Paul preached in Athens, the Athenians made no distinction between the two names/identities.

1 Peter 4:12-14: 

12 Beloved, do not be surprised at the fiery ordeal when it comes upon you to test you, as though something strange were happening to you. 13 But rejoice insofar as you share Christ’s sufferings, that you may also rejoice and be glad when his glory is revealed. 14 If you are insulted for the name of Christ, you are blessed, because the Spirit of glory and of God rests upon you.

We live in a world of many conflicting philosophies and ideas. As a result, one doesn’t have to go very far to see the contests that rage within the realm of theism, science, and politics. Some people enjoy such contests, while others have had their fill with such debates. The website – www.wheredoyoustand.us is designed to expose some of the core "isms" in our world in order to evaluate the more fundamental realities of life. Some of the core queries are:

Politics: Do you lean towards liberalism or conservatism; or are you beginning to lose interest in the politics of our nation?

Patriotism: Do you consider yourself to be a patriot, and if so, how do you define true patriotism?

Religionism & Seculariam: Is our nation leaning more towards progressive secularism, or is it becoming more steeped in religionism?

Science: Do you believe in all that is dubbed as "scientific," or are you willing to examine everything with a critical eye?

Philosophy: Do your thoughts lean more towards atheism, agnosticism or secularism?

Amidst the hustle and bustle of life, few stop long enough to ask the question: "What is the point and purpose of life?" As a video website, www.wheredoyoustand.us addresses this root question by peering through the maze of the many "isms" of our world today. The same videos presented on www.wheredoyoustand.us and www.bornagainamericans.org are also available on a single DVD, providing nearly 90 minutes of video presentations.

We all lead very busy lives, and it is therefore easy to “go through the motions” in our daily routine without considering the more important questions in life. Clearly, we live in a world of countless “isms” and philosophies, but the question always remains: Where do you stand?

Soli Deo Gloria

When we think of God’s commandments our thoughts tend to be drawn to those concrete instructions which deal with our external relations with others: do not steal, do not lie, do not bear false witness, do not kill etc.  But there are also commandments which deal with our internal thoughts and intentions, and these are no less important.  After all, a man who is innocent of the physical act of adultery may still be guilty of spiritual infidelity via his unfaithful heart and mind (Matt. 5:27-28).  With this simple premise in mind, allow me to remind the reader of yet another commandment which offers a rebuke to those who have allowed themselves to wane in their mental discernment:

1 John 3:13: 13 Do not be surprised, brethren, if the world hates you.

It is too often the case that passages of Scripture are read without noticing the important details therein.  Thus we should note that the words “do not be surprised” represent just two words in the Greek – me thaumazete – the imperatival construct being translated literally as: “you must not be surprised!”  I have placed the exclamation mark at the end in order to remind the reader that, as an imperatival construct, this statement must be understood to be a command rather than a quaint suggestion.   John is literally commanding his readers that they must never be surprised (thaumazete) when the world dishes out its venomous hatred against the followers of Christ.  Because of this, we can know that if we are ever surprised then we are simply evidencing our naivete and forgetfulness of what Christ Himself declared:

John 16:33 In the world you have tribulation…

Representing, evincing, and communicating Christ (which is the definition of a true Christian) will beget much in the way of tribulation, hatred, and hostility from those who disdain the Lord Himself.  As Christians, we must make sure that we are never the source of offense through sin; and yet we must also remember that sometimes the most gracious presentations of truth can be met with the hottest hostility.  When such hostility occurs then the true believer must not be surprised, for the simple reason that – worldly people act in worldly ways.  

I mention all of this in view of the recent debacle concerning the recent Miss USA pageant.  Even though I don’t watch or support such programs, it has been impossible to avoid the subject in recent days.  The grand controversy swells around a judge’s question (Perez Hilton) for the contestant from California – Carrie Prejean:

Hilton:  “Vermont recently became the 4th state to legalize same sex marriage (background applause) do you think every state should follow suit?  Why, or why not?”

Miss Prejean’s response followed:

“Well I think that it’s great that Americans are able to choose one or the other; um, we live in a land that you can choose same-sex marriage or opposite marriage and…you know what, in my country, and in my family, I think that I believe that marriage should be between a man and a woman – no offense to anybody out there – but that’s how I was raised and that’s how I think that it should be – between a man and a woman, thankyou.”

Now I know nothing about Miss Prejean herself, and will not attempt to decipher questions about her profession of faith, however it is enough to say that her above response was tepid at best.  One could hardly charge her with being firm, rough, or inappropriate with her questioner, and yet following the contest (which she did not win) Hilton (who is openly gay) proceeded to lambaste her on his website for offering her…personal opinion.  This he did despite the fact that in his original question, he asked “…do you think..”; which most English-speaking earthlings would comprehend as a query for someone’s personal opinion. 

Yes, that’s right: he actually got what he asked for, but became angry anyway.

Hilton’s webcam invectives were disgusting and revealed a childishness that has become popular, even encouraged, in our Internet/Reality-TV culture of today.  Yet despite his dark behavior, Hilton has been paraded about as a champion of a superior cause.  And as disturbing as this all is, we find that others are digging desperately to find a new low in their disdain for the supporters of traditional marriage:

Mr. Duncan (Libertarian MP) may think that it is funny to joke about murdering someone for opposing homosexual marriage, but I wonder if he would still be laughing if the same favor were returned to him.  Had a heterosexual man or woman spewed such a thing about a supporter of homosexuality, the mainstream media would do all that it could to set the world on fire in its defensive rage.  But please note this:

No Christian should be surprised by any of this.

Perez Hilton is just one person, but he represents an entire generation of youth who have been raised by the ill-fated philosophies that gush out of the cesspool of the entertainment industry on a daily basis.  There are many people today, like Hilton, who desire a society that is genderless, lawless, licentious, and Christless – and they won’t stop until they create such a beast.  In many respects, people like Perez Hilton are simply fulfilling Scripture (2 Timothy 3:1-4) along with the promise that, in this ancient world, nothing is substantially new (Ecc. 1:10).  I say that nothing is new because Christian persecutions of the past always began through the instrumentality of hatred and systematic dehumanization.  During the Neronian persecutions, Christians were portrayed as “haters of humanity” for the following reason: Christians could not, in good conscience, pay homage to the countless Roman and Greek deities, and therefore they were characterized as those who opposed the common good of society because most Romans believed that sacrifices offered to the gods were needful in order to receive an abundant harvest every year.  Thus, by failing to offer the prescribed sacrifices, Christians were reputed as those who opposed productive harvests and therefore Roman society itself.  From all of this it is easy to see that the dehumanization, hatred, and vitriol that was directed towards the 1st century Christian community became the perverted grounds for their massive, systematic murder. 

Thus, Mr. Duncan seems to be leading this generation’s angry mob.

Perez Hilton is no statistical aberration, whether by the standards of human history, or by the recent accounting of America’s degrading culture.  Ultimately, our nation has been busy producing Perez Hiltons en masse through the following means:

Effeminate Men:  Many young men today have never had real male role models in their lives.  In a society that has been almost totally emasculated, many men today grow up with no real notions of biblical masculinity.  From this vacuous condition, we often find an increase in the number of effeminate and homosexual men arising within society.

The Abandonment of Motherhood:  The role of motherhood is another casualty in our emasculated and feminized culture today.  Children are rarely nurtured in the home by the leadership of a father, and by the tender nurture of a mother.  The end result is that many young women and men grow up without the slightest concept of this ancient institution called marriage.

A World Without Truth:  In a world where there are no perceived absolutes, save the absolutes of one’s personal opinion, there can be no actual foundation of truth whatsoever.  The subjectivism of our culture has made it so that the group who screams the loudest wins.  What they win isn’t the battle over absolute truth, rather they win the contest of self-protection amidst the larger scheme of political correctness.  Sometimes screaming leads to violence – but this doesn’t matter, just so long as you are on the correct side of the politically correct fence.

As to this latter point, Miss Prejean’s personal opinion doesn’t even matter in the final, authoritative analysis.  I would rather direct Mr. Hilton to the actual object of his hatred by referring to Christ who was also asked about the nature of marriage:

Matthew 19:4-6: 4 And He answered and said, “Have you not read that He who created them from the beginning made them male and female, 5 and said, ‘For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh’? 6 “So they are no longer two, but one flesh. What therefore God has joined together, let no man separate.”

Perez Hilton may not like Miss Prejean’s opinion, or even her right to express it, but in the final analysis he will have to appear before the judgment seat of the Creator, Who made all things including marriage. 

When that day comes I can assure you that the Lord will entertain no appeals when His final judgment is rendered.