#The Gospel Coalition

[mybeautifulchristianjourney]

by Alistair Begg | Writing on the state of Western civilization a little more than a decade ago, English journalist Melanie Phillips observed, “Society seems to be in the grip of a mass derangement.” There’s a “sense that the world has slipped off the axis of reason,” causing many to wonder, “How is anyone to work out who is right in...

[bpags2]

An Open Letter to The Gospel Coalition and Trevin Wex

The broken eggshell of a civilization which time has hatched and devoured If you haven’t read the TGC article, go HERE and read it. While this is an open letter to TGC and Trevin, it will mainly be directed toward Trevin. Hi Trevin, I’d like to start by acknowledging your impressive resume. You’ve written quite a bit and for some really impressive outlets. Your accolades seem to indicate…

[martyschoenleber]

Why Your Neighbor Needs You to Sing

Just read this this morning and I didn’t want it to get lost. I suspect I will need to refer many people to it in the years ahead. The article comes from THE GOSPEL COALITION. Here’s the Link.  

[angelabowermicelli]

ok here is my second and final thought for the night:

I am working on memorizing the New City Catechism that The Gospel Coalition has created. It’s basically just a series of questions and answers that are meant to help the church learn theology & doctrine and ensure they are equipped with truth.

Anyways there’s 52 of them and I am going to try to memorize one per week. I’d encourage you to download the New City Catechism app and follow along/memorize with me if you so choose!! But I’ll also be posting the questions & responses here as I go to hopefully be an encouragement to other believers!

Here is week 1:

What is our only hope in life and death?

That we are not our own, but belong, body and soul, in life and death, to God and to our Savior, Jesus Christ.

[diariodigitalcristiano]

Coalición por el Evangelio usa el Libro de Rut para defender las uniones civiles entre personas del mismo sexo

En un artículo reciente en The Gospel Coalition, Joe Carter, co-pastor de la Iglesia Bíblica McLean de David Platt y ex empleado de la Comisión de Ética y Libertad Religiosa de la Convención Bautista del Sur, intenta argumentar desde el Libro de Ruth a favor de las uniones civiles entre personas del mismo sexo.

Carter comienza el artículo titulado Simple Solution to Same-Sex Civil 'Marriage' tratando de persuadir al lector de que David French, un activista político y social de extrema izquierda, es en realidad un "evangélico conservador". Es a partir del comentario de French sobre las uniones civiles entre personas del mismo sexo que Carter comienza su ex postulación a favor de algún tipo de "unión civil" de la que no solo los homosexuales pueden disfrutar de beneficios similares al matrimonio, sino también otras relaciones "de sexualizadas". Comienza citando a French, quien afirma:

"Hago hincapié en la palabra civil porque mi punto de vista sobre la naturaleza religiosa del matrimonio no ha cambiado", dice French. Es un pacto de por vida entre un hombre y una mujer, sellado ante Dios, y rompible sólo en las condiciones limitadas que Dios ha esbozado en su Palabra.

Carter luego lamenta que el artículo de French haya sido tan criticado por personas que realmente creen en la Biblia, se aferran a una ética sexual bíblica tradicional y creen que esta ética es realmente la mejor para la sociedad. Carter se queja de que "algunos han dicho que ni siquiera es cristiano". Eso no es descabellado teniendo en cuenta la proclividad de French a complacer al hombre y apaciguar a la sociedad pagana en lugar de agradar a Dios. El francés tiene una mentalidad muy carnal.

Si bien Carter al menos argumenta en contra de la redefinición del matrimonio, esencialmente, la solución final aterriza en proporcionar el mismo tipo de beneficios civiles a varios tipos de "uniones", incluidas las uniones sexuales entre personas del mismo sexo, que tienen las parejas casadas. "¿Qué hacemos con las parejas homosexuales que han ordenado sus vidas en torno a la ficción legal del matrimonio entre personas del mismo sexo?" Carter preguntó retóricamente argumentando que la solución de French a las uniones civiles entre personas del mismo sexo creaba problemas para los evangélicos conservadores porque históricamente fueron promovidos como partidarios de los "acoplamientos homosexuales entre personas del mismo sexo". Pero el argumento de Carter abre la puerta a algo aún peor: arreglos matrimoniales para cualquier acoplamiento, incluyendo suegra-nuera, sobrino-tío, etc. Carter dice que "excluyeron las relaciones más dignas de reconocimiento legal".

"En lugar de usarlos para proporcionar legitimidad a las relaciones homosexuales", dice Carter, "las uniones civiles deben ser completamente desexualizadas y abiertas a dos adultos que deseen entrar en un tipo de relación contractual conocida como contrato de beneficiario mutuo".

"Nuestro modelo para tales uniones civiles proviene de una fuente muy improbable: el Libro de Rut". Carter luego argumenta que la relación entre Noemí y Rut sería extremadamente difícil hoy porque la sociedad no otorga beneficios a este tipo de "uniones civiles".

Pero, ¿qué pasaría si Rut y Noemí vivieran en la América moderna? ¿Podrían mantener este compromiso mutuo sin impedimentos de leyes que reconocen solo a los dependientes, tutores y cónyuges, incluidos los "cónyuges" del mismo sexo? La ley puede muy bien proporcionarles igual protección bajo ciertas circunstancias, pero con el laberinto de reglas y regulaciones, ¿cómo sabrían lo que se aplica?"

A diferencia de la situación de Rut y Noemí, debido a la decisión de Obergefell, "Cualquier joven gay puede entrar en una unión civil con un hombre mayor con el fin de conferir beneficios sobre su comportamiento sexual. Pero un sobrino no podía firmar un contrato similar con su tío discapacitado de una manera que simplificara su capacidad para brindar atención".

"La desexualización de las uniones civiles aliviaría las preocupaciones de las personas, como French, que quieren permitir que las parejas homosexuales en los 'matrimonios' civiles disfruten de los beneficios que reciben actualmente", dice Carter, argumentando que "las uniones civiles desexualizadas no serían una amenaza para la libertad religiosa en la forma en que los matrimonios entre personas del mismo sexo son y continuarán siendo indefinidamente".

La solución de Carter es, en última instancia, abrir la puerta a las uniones civiles que ofrecen todos los beneficios del matrimonio, pero eliminan el aspecto "sexual" de él, creando así la ilusión de que el gobierno, y aquellos que apoyan esta legislación, no apoyan ni respaldan los matrimonios entre personas del mismo sexo. Por supuesto, eso es absurdo a primera vista y no puede ser corroborado por ningún análisis lógico de lo que realmente está diciendo.

Por supuesto, el mayor problema con esto es la falta total de precepto bíblico o precedente que incluso accidentalmente se asemeja a lo que él está proponiendo. Incluso en el ejemplo de Rut y Noemí, ¿cómo se ve reforzada o perjudicada esa relación por cualquier política civil externa? La idea de tal cosa se introduce de contrabando en la conversación en un intento de dar credibilidad a su tesis. No hay forma de que alguien encuentre eso sin esta corrupción cultural como telón de fondo para hacerlo. ¿Puede alguien, incluyendo a Joe Carter, realmente imaginar a Jesús o a los apóstoles proponiendo algún tipo de virtud en otra cosa que no sea la santa condenación de todas las relaciones románticas que no fueron establecidas por Dios en la creación del mundo? Si abriéramos la puerta a este tipo de uniones, promovería absolutamente la adopción de las uniones entre personas del mismo sexo y, sin duda, está redefiniendo claramente la institución del matrimonio, solo que sin usar la palabra. Todo el mundo lo reconocería como una redefinición del matrimonio y todo el mundo lo trataría como tal. Es una distinción sin diferencia, y la solución no es una solución en absoluto, es simplemente una capitulación de un grupo de izquierdistas que están demasiado flojos para decir lo que la Biblia realmente tiene que decir sobre el juicio de Dios sobre el mundo en este momento.

Fuente: Disidente

[gracejones]

some supplemental reading where the Ken Burns documentary (severely) lacked

[rw7771]

Gender and Sexuality - The Gospel Coalition

[whatisonthemoon]

Iran-Contra and the Religious Right

by Victor Vaughn February 4, 2013

Oliver North worshipped in a charismatic Episcopal Church in Virginia called Church of the Apostles. It turn out to be one of those Shepherding churches, a cult movement within the charismatic movement. North’s pastor was Rev. Brian Cox, a National Coordinator of Sharing of Ministries Abroad (SOMA), a right-wing political orgainization in guise of of an active missionary work in South America. Their agenda was to fight communism in South America.

In 1976, Jesus freaks from Gospel Outreach of California came to Guatemala after its earthquake. They did not waste time aiding earthquake victims, they were trying to convert Catholics to Pentecostals. One early convert was Rios Montt,who became leader of Gospel Outreach Verbo Church. He smuggled Bibles into Nicaruagua after Sandisitas took over the country.

Christian Emergency Relief Teams (CERT) started in Carlsbad, California in 1974 to aid Honduras hurricane victims, but after Sandistas took over Nicaruagua, they switched to aiding the contras. They have even accompanied contras to battle. Templo Biblico in San Jose, California was a front for Full Gospel Businessman International and World Vision. It became a CIA conduit to contras in Costa Rico.

Glendale, California based Transworld Mission (TWM), headed by John Olson .When Somoza was head of Nicaragua, Olson produced rabid anti-communist radio broadcasts in US, supporting Somoza. He became friends with Oliver North.

When Oliver North became an officer, he joined Officers’ Christian fellowship, founded by Ret. Army Major Gen. Clay T. Buckingham on 170 US bases. it was a shepherding organization.

1979-83-NCPAC Financial Director Carl “Spitz” Channel formed a coalition of religious right wing organizations to raise funds for contras. Lutheran pastor Rchard Nieuhaus influenced IRD in 1981 to supporting contras.

In 1982- Charles Moser, Secretary-Treasuru of Free Congress and Education Foundation, formed a committee to support the contras. This committee had Enrique Ruedo of Free Congress, Dan Tefferman of Freedom Leadership Foundation, Reed Irvine of AIM, and Lynn Francis Bouchery of Council for Inter-American Security. Jimmy Hasan, Director of Campus Crusade in Nicaragua 1982-85, was working for the contras.

By 1984, the most prominent private donor to contras was CBN. Capt. Robert Warren, retired Navy counterinsurgency specialist, was head of Operation Blessing. He was also formerly of Operation Phoenix, the CIA assassination group in Vietnam. North, Secord, and Poindexter were also in Operation Phoenix. They had ties to John Singlaub, head of World Anti-communist League (WACL) and a former member of NSC. He was a coordinator for private aid to the contras. North went around US trying to get aid for contras and build domestic propaganda for the contras. CBN contributed $3 million to Nicaraguan Patriotic Association. Its president was Juan Sacasa, Houston representative for the contras. Harry Aderholt, the Air Force officer who pioneered Operation Phoenix, headed the Air Commandos Association( the Air Force Green Berets) and was supplying the Salvadoran Army against its rebels. Aderholt, with Warren and Operation Blessing opened a clinic in Nebay region in Guatemala that turned out to be a de facto concentration camp for the Indians.

Dr. Alton Ochsner,Jr. convinced Moral Majority to the contras cause. They started “Family Forum” in San Francisco, an organization to support contras. They formed Friends of America (FOA) in 1984. Ochsner became head of Carribean Commission, a contra support group. He introduced Jenkins to Council for National Policy, which was supporting the contras. Ochsner father was a well-known white supremicist. FOA supplies were flown by the National Guard of Mississippi and Louisana at taxpayers’ expense and illegal activity.

In Sept.,1985, Robertson asked Reagan on the 700 Club, who was the person going to Tehran to talk about hostages. Reagan admitted sending someone to Tehran to trade hostages for arms. That “someone” was Oliver North. He was accompanied by Robert Marrow, an CIA agent allegedly on the plot to kill JFK, and was part of Operation Phoenix and in Operation Blessing. Jimmy Hasan was arrested by Sandistas after an IRD meeting on Oct. 31, 1985. He fled and appeared on the 700 Club. He recieved money from North’s NSC safe. North introduced Derstine to Calero and Bermudez in a secret map room. Rev. Derstine was a televangelist. Calero and Bermudez are contra leaders. FOA leaders generate public support and coordinate private aid from US church groups for contras, though that was illegal at the time.Woody Jenkins went around claiming Sandistas were dictators.

In 1986, FOA used Kelly Air Force Base and airlifted at taxpayers’ expense 100,00 pounds of supplies to Honduras for the contras. The planes were accompanied by National Guards of Mississippi and Louisana. FOA also supplied SETCO, an CIA airline for the contras. Operation Blessing supplied gas and drove vehicles for the contras. CERT accompanied contras to their battles.

David Cousas and Oliver North spoke at National Religious Broadcasters (NRB) to get support for the contras. 1985-John Olson was Oliver North’s guest at the White House for a briefing on the contra war. Olson was there on behalf of NRB. NRB became staunch advocate of direct US military intervention against Nicaragua. Before the Hausenfus crash, Robertson knew about the contras were being supplied by Israel and South Africa. This was before the press found out. AFC Richard Viguerie lobbied for the contras in Congress and claimed North was innocent. Singlaub and Micharl Clifford (Robertson’s CBN staff member) were among AFC members. North was keynote speaker for Bev LeHayes’ Concerned Women of America (CWA), urging them to aid the contras. Barbara Abbey, CWA,co-sponsored a fund-raiser for contra leader Calero. CWA sponsored a contra refugee camp in Costa Rico. CWA got money from Pepsico, Levi, Avon,Amex, Subaru, Sun Co., United Bank of Colorado, and Government Employees Insurance.

Jose Gonzales Souza started Semilla (“Seed”) at the Chesepeake, Va, office of Pat Robertson’s National Perspective Institute. Souza was a graduate of Robertson’s Regent University and lead its Hispanic Studies.CBN gave him money to start Semilla to train and organize Christian leaders in the Western Hemisphere, especially in Latin America.S emilla got $1,714.34 from Spitz Channell’s National Endowment for Preservation of Liberty (NEPL), part of Oliver North’s multifaceted procontra propaganda project.

Robert Reilly, Reagan’s liason to the Catholics, denounced liberation theology. He worked with former Maryknoll worker Geraldine O’Leary Macras (who worked for Costa Rican contras). He also worked with Humberto Belli, former editor of La Prensa. Humberto Belli started Puebla Instiute in Michigan in co-operation with Sword of Spirit (Catholic charismatic group) and Ciudad de Dios (“City of God”), the Hispanic version of Sword of Spirit. Belli claimed there was religious persecution in Nicaragua. CIA paid Belli to do a film called Nicaragua Christians under Fire. Belli was advisor to pro-contra Archbishop Bravo. He had Bravo doing mass for contras in Miami. Archbishop Bravo had ties with W.R. Grace Corporation. He also got funds from North. Robert Pickus and George Weigel formed National Endowment for Democracy (NED), spending millions of taxpayers’ money funding Nicaragua’s opposition press. Weigel served as advisor for USIA. Pickus formed World without War Council (WWWC), which promoted US tour of Belli and contra leader Arturo Cruz.

1987- Bev Lehaye met Violetta Chamarro, editor of La Prensa, pledging support for the contras. Rev Geoff Donnan of Carribean Christian Ministries organized anti-Sandistas clergy in Nicaragua using private Christian schools there. Donnan worked under sponsorship of Paul lindstrom, a John Birch organizer.

1986- Donnan declared liberation theology as Satanic. He planned to publish a “Christian ” history of Nicaragua, written by Belli. Contra leader Joseph Douglas joined CERT. A few days before Swaggert resigned, he went to Nicaragua and saw the children victims of contra attacks. He withdrew his support of the contras and criticized them for their inhumanity. Suddenly, Marvin Gorman came up with pictures of Swaggert with a prostitute. Meanwhile, the contras smuggled illegal drugs into the US.

Politics make strange bedfellows. This proves it! In 1961, after a military coup of a democratic government in South Korea that brought Park to power, KCIA decided to organize and utilize a church called Unification Church, as a political tool of the right wing military government. They wanted to export this church to the US. They asked Rev. Bill Bright to help organize it and chose a leader of it. Bill Bright choose Rev. Sun Myung Moon to head it. Moon had been a friend of Bright for a long time. Numerious Moonies served as aids to various Congresspersons since then.

In 1977, Richard Viguerie got a contract for “Children’s Relief Fund”, sponsored by the Moonies’ Korean Culture and Freedom Foundation. Less than 6.3% of the donations went to the needy, the rest went to Viguerie’s pockets and the Moonies. The biggest chunk went to Viguerie.

In 1986, Moonies paid Viguerie to handle the distribution of their magazine Insight.

In 1975, Christian Freedom Foundation founded by Bill Bright, Richard Viguerie, Richard Devos, Arthur DeMoss, Rep. John Conlan, Ed McAteer. The money came from Moonies.

In 1983, American Coalition for Traditional Values (ACTV) began with Tim LaHaye, Falwell, Robertson, Bakker, Robison, Humbard, and Swaggert. The money that started it came from the Moonies. It was right after Gary Jarmin, ex-Moonie, introduced Tim LaHaye to Col. Bo Pak, Rev. Moon’s right hand man.

1984-Rev. Moon was arrested for his illegal business activities. Moonies formed Coalition for Religious Freedom (CRF), a front for defense of Rev. Moon. LaHaye, Falwell< Ben Armstrong, Robison, Humbard, James Kennedy, and Swaggert were on the executive board. Paul Crouch and Hal Lindsey joined in 1986.

Ron Goodwin, a top Falwell aid left the Moral Majority to work on Insight in 1985.

1987-Col. Pak paid 10.06 million dollars for Vigueries’ offices. Christian Voice was in Moonies pay and headed by Gary Jarmin. Pres. Robert Grant and the Christian Voice joined the Moonies to form American Freedom Coalition.

1988-Grant made ties with Anti-Bolshevik Bloc of Nations. It was a group made up of Who’s Who of WWII Nazis.

Coaliton on Revival (COR) was founded by Dennis Peacocke, a Bob Mumford disciple, and Jay Grimstead, an ex-Moonie. The money came from Moonies.

Mumford promoted dominion theology (Reconstructionism). Gary North of COR was a member of the John Birch Society.

The neo-Nazi church Identity’s rock group Legacy had entertained COR’s meetings and parties.

1985-While “Father” Dowling was passing off as a Catholic priest, he spoke at Grace Lutheran Chruch in El Cerrito, CA. Its pastor, Ralph Moelling, was a member of the Moonies’ CAUSA. Dowling served as national advisory board on CAUSA, which was paying Dowling’s travel expenses. Dowling frequently met Pat Buchanan at the White House and Bretton Sciaroni, a confident of John Singlaub. Dowling kept close ties with Linda Guell, director of Western Goals, which was involved in North’s contra fundraising. It was also a John Birch front.

1987-Christian Emergency Relief Teams(CERT) recieved a large amount of money from the Moonies.

1986-Moonies received money from South Africa, $45million, in exchange for South Africa’s interest in Washington Times, the Moonie paper.

1982-James Whelan, editor of Moonie-owned Sacramento Union, went to the Washington Times. Back in 1961, he was part of a secret UPI team in Miami that covered the failed US invasion of Cuba. He was PR man for ITT, when it helped CIA overthrow Allende and set up Pinochet. Whelan resigned the Washington Times in 1984, and worked briefly for CBN.

Reed Irvine wrote for Moonie-owned papers. Richard Zone was also with Christian Voice. Grant had ties with Anita Bryant, an anti-gay crusade. Tim LaHaye, Bob Billings, and Cal Thomas, an ex-Moonie, was with the Christian Voice. Billings and Thomas was also with Moral Majority.

Shepherding

In 1965,in South Korea, Paul Yonggi Cho started a sysytem called Shepherding. He was inspired by the organizational methods of Rev. Moon. He wrote the book Successful Home Cell Groups in 1981, based on his ideas of shepherding.

1970-Argentina. An Assembly of God pastor, Rev. Juan Carlos Ortiz, established a new church, Body of Christ. It had a highly structured authority from small cells led by a “shepherd”, who was in turn led by another shepherd and so on in a pyramid form of command. It was from reading about what Cho was doing.

1972- Rev. Bob Mumford visited Ortiz’s church and was impressed. He brought Shepherding to America. He was a Bible teacher in Ft. Lauderdale,Florida.. Mumford,with four other associates, moved to Mobile, Alabama, directing the Christian Growth Ministries. They saw in the Charimatic Movement too much chaos. Shepherding would bring discipline.

Most leaders of the Shepherding Movement required their members to disclose intimate details of their lives and submit to the Shepherd (no female was allowed to be a Shepherd).The shepherd directed all facets of their followers’ lives.

Pat Robertson denounced the Shepherding Movement, but he invited Don Basham, one of the Shepherd leaders, to the 700 Club in 1987.

They have a magazine called New Wine. Cult Awareness Network declared they are a cult.

Mumford promoted dominion theology or Reconstrutionism, which was trying to get theocracy in America.Rev. Peacocke was one of Mumford’s disciples and his Coalition on Revival (COR) promoted Reconstructionism.

Robertson and the New World Order

A few years back, Robertson wrote a book called New World Order, his take on the Conpiracy Theory. He said that secret organizations are working together to make a one world government. This government will try to eliminate Christianity. He mentioned the illuminati, the Bavarian group started in 1776 by Adam Weishuapt and was disbanded in 1787. Robertson is one of those who believed Illuminati never disbanded, but behind the scenes of worldly events.

He said the Warburgs, Rockefellers, and Morgans created te Federal reserve Board and the IRS. They were out to change the Constitution. House, an employee of Rothchilds, started Council for Foreign Relations and talked Wilson into participating in WWI. House helped formed League of Nations. Adolf Hitler was trained by occult groups, so said Pat Robertson. The British Labour Party socialized Britain after WWII. Sweden became socialized. Robertson said that Ford Foundation wants US to merge with the USSR.

CFR infiltrated our government and the Federal Reserve Board. Also the Foundations (Ford,Rockefeller, Carnegie,etc.), our banks, our universities, and our newspapers.Marxism is its goal.Helped Communism to take control of Russia, China, East Europe, Central America, and Africa. Some are motivatied by Satan, so claimed Robertson.CIA under CFR control.

Then, Robertson turned to Trilateral Commission, formed to link Japan, US, and Europe.Robertson mentioned International Finance ( a buzz word for Jews) as backing US Communist Party.

Robertson said Communism was brainchild of German Jewish Intellectuals.

Robertson talked about Great Seal of US. He said the eye above the Pyramid is Eye of Osiris ( actually its Eye of Horus). A select few was planning to to replace Christian order, said Pat Robertson.

Robertson talked about roots of Communism were in the Illuminati. They staged the French Revolution. He mentioned Moses Hess, a radical Jewish rabbi, who influenced Engels. Robertson said Hess was an Illuminatus. He went on and mentioned Nesta Webster. who is a favorite author of John Birch Society and a member of British Fascist Society.

Robertson claimed Solidarity was a front for the Communist Party.

John Ruskin and his pupil, Cecil Rhodes. With Rothschild funding, Cecil Rhodes founded DeBeers. He created Rhodes Scholarship. Rhodes created British Roundtable.

Robertson mentioned Club of Rome as one of those groups working for one world government. He mentioned John Dewey teaching ethics different from JudeoChristian. New Age movement is a front for this One World conspiracy. He claimed the first Masonic legislator was Buddha. Illuminati borrowed from Jewish Cabala.

Rockefeller funded Planned Parenthood’s start. Robertson claimed that Muslems, Hindus, and Buddhists would undermine US.

Robertson claimed Lincoln was killed because he did not US government to loan from banks. Robertson said European Bankers(Jews) and money lords of US had Booth kill Lincoln. Booth was in employ of European bankers.

Robertson stole so much from John Birch literature and Nesta Webster works, its a wonder he wasn’t sued for plagiarism. Robertson claimed occult came from Babylon and Egypt. Other times he said the occult came from China and India. He can’t seem to make up his mind. Historian Will Durant debunks the idea that Illuminati was connected to French Revolution. Many historians since then also debunk that idea. Robertson liked the old idea that only property owners could vote. That was a rule to prevent blacks and other minorities from voting, also keeping the poor from voting.

Well, in Robertson’s view, the Protocols of Learned Elders of Zion was real, that old Anti-Semitic forgery. I find this book both racist and contradictory. He is close to Mussolini here, with some borrowed ideas from Adolf Hitler, who was a believer in the Protocols, too.

https://espressostalinist.com/2012/02/04/iran-contra-and-the-religious-right/

[mybeautifulchristianjourney]

by H.B. Charles Jr | A friend who is a budding preacher wrote me for advice about what to do when you lose your sense of discipline and devotion. It’s a real issue. There are times in ministry when your spiritual vitality is strong, but there are also times when your devotional life is...

[awfullybigwardrobe44]

since all I post these days is prayer requests

one more!!

guys! I wrote and submitted an article on religious OCD to The Gospel Coalition!

in a weird turn of events, there was no submission page for the US so I submitted it to Australia 🤣

please pray it gets published! I honestly don’t care if it gets published in Australia if there’s even one person who might be able to self-diagnose using the descriptions of religious OCD I gave.

My goal is that readers would be educated on what religious OCD can look like so that they could spot it in themselves or others and get help.

[greater-than-the-sword]

It has been a source of great confusion to me that two things are simultaneously self-evident to me, and they appear contradictory on the surface.

A person's intellectual honesty can be measured by how open they are to persuasion based on new evidence.

If tomorrow someone showed me a newspaper with color pictures and video showing that they had found the body of Jesus in Israel, and it was somehow DNA verified by a group of independent scientists, and endorsed by the Gospel Coalition, the Patriarchate of Jerusalem, and the Pope, I would be well justified to rip it up and throw it in their face.

It seems to me that the only possible way to reconcile these two statements is the idea that each believer has access within themselves some kind of prima facie evidence that can be directly observed and verified without appeal to any kind of material or external factors.

But perhaps that is what is meant by "faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen."

[frmartinshomiliesandreflections]

16th July >> Fr. Martin's Reflections / Homilies on Today's Mass Readings for Tuesday, Fifteenth Week in Ordinary Time (Inc. Matthew 11:20-24) ‘They refused to repent’.

Tuesday, Fifteenth Week in Ordinary Time

Gospel (Except USA) Matthew 11:20-24 It will not go as hard with Sodom on Judgement Day as with you.

Jesus began to reproach the towns in which most of his miracles had been worked, because they refused to repent. ‘Alas for you, Chorazin! Alas for you, Bethsaida! For if the miracles done in you had been done in Tyre and Sidon, they would have repented long ago in sackcloth and ashes. And still, I tell you that it will not go as hard on Judgement day with Tyre and Sidon as with you. And as for you, Capernaum, did you want to be exalted as high as heaven? You shall be thrown down to hell. For if the miracles done in you had been done in Sodom, it would have been standing yet. And still, I tell you that it will not go as hard with the land of Sodom on Judgement day as with you.’

Gospel (USA) Matthew 11:20-24 It will be more tolerable for Tyre and Sidon and for the land of Sodom on the day of judgment than for you.

Jesus began to reproach the towns where most of his mighty deeds had been done, since they had not repented. “Woe to you, Chorazin! Woe to you, Bethsaida! For if the mighty deeds done in your midst had been done in Tyre and Sidon, they would long ago have repented in sackcloth and ashes. But I tell you, it will be more tolerable for Tyre and Sidon on the day of judgment than for you. And as for you, Capernaum:

Will you be exalted to heaven? You will go down to the netherworld.

For if the mighty deeds done in your midst had been done in Sodom, it would have remained until this day. But I tell you, it will be more tolerable for the land of Sodom on the day of judgment than for you.”

Reflections (7)

(i) Tuesday, Fifteenth Week in Ordinary Time

According to today’s first reading at a time of national crisis, the Lord, speaking through the prophet Isaiah, says to the king of Judah, ‘If you do not stand by me, you will not stand at all’. Faced with a coalition of enemy nations, Ahaz was tempted to seek refuge by relying on one of the great empires of the day. The message of Isaiah to him was that he needed to rely on the Lord, rather than on any human power, if he and the people were to remain secure. The preaching of Jesus to the towns of Galilee called on them to rely on God, present and active in the ministry of Jesus. According to the gospel reading, the towns of Chorazin, Bethsaida and Capernaum failed to do so. In spite of the ways God was powerfully at work through the ministry of Jesus, they didn’t respond to him in a trusting, faithful, way. Behind Jesus’ oracle of judgement addressed to these towns lies a heart that is broken at their failure to respond to his life-giving message. In Luke’s gospel Jesus weeps over Jerusalem because of their failure to recognize the time of God’s visitation through Jesus. Today’s readings invite us to ask ourselves, ‘To whom or what do we turn and on whom or on what do we rely?’ In the words of today’s responsorial psalm, ‘God… has shown himself its stronghold’. Jesus as Emmanuel, God with us, offers himself to us as the stronghold of our lives, the rock on which we can build our lives, the one on whom we can rely when all else fails. Our calling is to keep turning towards him who is always turned towards us.

And/Or

(ii) Tuesday, Fifteenth Week in Ordinary Time

We sometimes like to think of ourselves as being in control, as having everything under control. Yet, the reality is that in so many ways we are not in control. So much happens to us over which we have no control. Among other things, we cannot control how people respond tto us. We can offer someone the gift of friendship, for example, but we have no control over whether or not they receive that gift. Even Jesus had no control over how other people responded to him. He brought people the gift of God’s presence but not everyone received that gift, not everyone recognized Jesus as God visiting his people. In this morning’s gospel reading, Jesus laments the fact that the towns of Chorazin, Bethsaida, and Capernaum did not respond to his presence, in spite of the miracles that were done in their midst. He suggests that the pagan cities of Tyre and Sodom would have been much more responsive to his presence. The fact that people were graced by the Lord did not necessarily mean that they responded to that grace. We have been graced by the Lord in many ways. We have the gift of the Lord’s presence in his word, in the sacraments, in each other. We spend our lives learning to respond to the many graces the Lord is always offering us. 

And/Or

(iii) Tuesday, Fifteenth Week in Ordinary Time                                 

The words of Jesus against the Galilean towns of Chorazin, Bethsaida and Capernaum seem harsh to our ears. Behind the harsh woes lie the anguish of a love that is frustrated. His rejection by many in these towns foreshadows a great rejection that lies ahead by the people of Jerusalem. Jesus has given much to these Galilean towns. Miracles have been done in their midst. Yet, the response has been at best indifferent and at worst hostile. Are all the efforts Jesus made to make present the kingdom of God among them wasted? Jesus had spared nothing on their behalf and, yet, the return has been minimal. Such an experience could have left Jesus disheartened. Yet, in the passage immediately following Jesus gives thanks to God for all those who have responded to his message and work. Jesus understood that in spite of some many setbacks and disappointments, God was at work in and through him. Much of the seed he scattered appeared to bear no fruit, yet some of the seed would bear a rich harvest. As people of faith we can get very discouraged by the indifference or even hostility to the gospel message. Yet, we can be sure that the Lord continues to work in our midst, even when the signs are unpromising. Like Jesus in the gospel reading, we can get distressed and troubled by the gospel’s lack of progress but, like him, we need never get discouraged. There always remains much to give God thanks for, because God’s work is not ultimately thwarted by human resistance.

And/Or

(iv) Tuesday, Fifteenth Week in Ordinary Time

We are all very aware of how, from time to time, we can fail to respond to certain situations in the most appropriate way. We might realize very shortly afterwards that our response left a lot to be desired. Hopefully, we can learn from such experiences. The Lord speaks to us through our failings as much as through our virtue. Both of today’s readings put before us examples of an inappropriate response to situations. In the first reading, Moses saw an Egyptian strike a Hebrew, one of his countrymen. He responded by killing the Egyptian and burying his body in the sand. As a result, he had to flee to a different country, leaving what was familiar to him for the unknown. In the gospel reading, Jesus complains about three towns in Galilee who responded with indifference to the mighty works that he performed among them. One of those towns, Capernaum, is known to us from the gospels as a focal point for Jesus’ teaching and deeds. Moses’ response was one of violence to an act of violence. The response of these towns was one of indifference to many life-giving acts on behalf of others. The Lord calls out to us from every situation in life, both those that proclaim death and those that proclaim life. In each and every situation, we need to ‘seek the Lord’ in the words of the response to today’s psalm. With the help of the Holy Spirit, we try to discern what the Lord is saying to me in and through this situation and how he is calling on me to respond.

And/Or

(v) Tuesday, Fifteenth Week in Ordinary Time

The last line of today’s first reading is very thought-provoking, ‘if you do not stand by me, you will not stand at all’. The prophet was addressing, Ahaz, the king of Judah, at a time of national crisis, because Ahaz was attempting to address the crisis without reference to the Lord. The words of Isaiah to Ahaz are echoed in the words of Psalm 127, ‘Unless the Lord builds the house, those who build it labour in vain. Unless the Lord guards the city, the guard keeps watch in vain’. In a similar vein, Jesus declares in John’s gospel, ‘apart from me you can do nothing’. We can all be tempted to go it alone, failing to recognize our dependence on the Lord for everything. The words of Jesus in today’s gospel reading express his frustration at three of the towns of Galilee for their failure to acknowledge their dependence on what Jesus had come to offer them, ‘Alas for you, Chorazin! Alas for you, Bethsaida… And as for you, Capernaum…’. Jesus’ words addressed to these towns may seem harsh to our ears, but they express the anguish of the shepherd who sees his flock turn away from the green pastures they need. In spite of all the mighty works Jesus had done among them, they refused to repent. The Lord wishes to stand by us, but he needs us to stand by him, if we are to flourish in the way he desires for us. There will be times in our lives when we will stand apart from the Lord, but the Lord never ceases to call us to stand by him, to rely on him, so as to allow him to do the work in our lives which only he can do.

And/Or

(vi) Tuesday, Fifteenth Week in Ordinary Time

In the previous chapter of Matthew’s gospel to today’s gospel reading, Jesus had said, ‘You received without charge, give without charge’. When the Lord gives to us, he looks to us to give to others from what we have received from him. When the Lord gives, we need firstly to receive from what he gives, and then to give to others from what we have received. That first step of receiving what the Lord gives is vital. We can be slow to receive what the Lord wants to give us. We have to keep learning to receive from him. As Jesus says elsewhere, anyone who does not receive the kingdom of God like a child will never enter it. In today’s gospel reading, Jesus bemoans the fact that the inhabitants of Chorazin, Bethsaida and Capernaum were unwilling to receive what Jesus was offering them. God had worked powerfully through Jesus in these towns, and, yet, their inhabitants failed to receive Jesus. God was gifting them through Jesus and, yet, they did not welcome God’s gifts through Jesus, God’s gift of Jesus. Today’s gospel invites us to ask ourselves, ‘How well do we receive all that God is offering us through his Son?’ The opening chapter of John’s gospel declares that Jesus came among us full of grace and truth and from his fullness we have all received. Because the Lord is full of God’s love for us, there is no limit to how much we can receive from him. There is always more to receive, and more that we can give from what we have received.

And/Or

(vii) Tuesday, Fifteenth Week in Ordinary Time

Today’s gospel reading reveals the distress of Jesus before the refusal of some of the towns of Galilee to welcome him and his message, the towns of Capernaum, Bethsaida and Chorazin. According to John’s gospel, Simon Peter, Andrew and Philip were from Bethsaida and according to the other gospels Capernaum was the home of Peter’s mother-in-law. Jesus’ threat of judgement on these towns reveals his anguish at their refusal to accept his preaching of the kingdom of God’s loving mercy. We tend to have the strongest feelings towards those we love the most, and, sometimes, that can include the feeling of anger. We often have a sense of helplessness when those we deeply care about take a path that we know will not serve them well. We try to persuade them otherwise out of our love for them, but our words fall on deaf ears. We have to let them go, even though our heart breaks at the path they are taking. This is akin to the experience of Jesus before those towns of Galilee that mattered deeply to him. However, because Jesus’ love is infinitely deeper than ours, his feeling of anguish at his love being rejected is also much greater than ours. Jesus too remains helpless before the refusal of others to take the path of life he is offering them. Yet, he never gives up on those who reject him, continuing to call out to them in his love. After his death and resurrection, the risen Lord continued to preach the gospel to the towns of Galilee through his disciples, and the Acts of the Apostles suggests that many of the Galilean towns heard the gospel. ‘Meanwhile the church throughout Judea, Galilee, and Samaria had peace and was built up’ (Acts 9:31). The Lord never gives up on us but he looks to us to seek him and, if we do so, we will not be disappointed. In the words of the responsorial psalm, ‘Seek the Lord, you who are poor, and your hearts will revive’.

Fr. Martin Hogan.

[gayleviticus]

obviously many cishet autistic and adhd people exist, but i cant help but roll my eyes when i see non-affirming places like christianity today or the gospel coalition start dipping their toes into 'how can you pray with ADHD' 'why neurodiversity is biblical' as if this significant overlap with queerness doesnt exist

[twwpress]

Weekly Press Briefing #64: September 10th - September 16th

Welcome back to the Weekly Press Briefing, where we bring you highlights from The West Wing fandom each week, including new fics, ongoing challenges, and more! This briefing covers all things posted from September 10 - September 16, 2023! Did we miss something? Let us know; you can find our contact info at the bottom of this briefing! 

Challenges/Prompts:

The following is a roundup of open challenges/prompts. Do you have a challenge or event you’d like us to promote? Be sure to get in touch with us! Contact info is at the bottom of this briefing.

@callixton is hosting The West Wing Pride Week (@twwpride here on tumblr) September 17 - 23. More details here! 

Photos/Videos:

Here’s what was posted from September 10 - September 16:

Amy Landecker posted photos of herself and Bradley Whitford with their friend Arian Moayed at the Creative Coalition luncheon, where Brad presented Arian with a humanitarian award. 

Bradley Whitford posted photos of himself with the directors and cast of The Gospel At Colonus, put on at the Getty Villa by the company of Chicago’s Court Theater. 

Dule Hill posted reflections on the news that his show The Wonder Years has been cancelled. 

Marlee Matlin posted a photo of herself and her friend Alexis Kashar sporting LOVE SIGN ASL shirts for their rival football teams. 

Marlee Matlin posted photos of herself with her son Brandon, along with a sweet birthday wish, for his 23rd birthday. 

Marlee Matlin posted in honor of National Sober Day, saying she is grateful for her 36 years of sobriety. 

Mary McCormack posted photos of her family saying goodbye to her daughter Rose as she goes off to college for the year. 

Mary McCormack posted a photo of her youngest daughter with a wish for her 12th birthday.

Melissa Fitzgerald reposted a photo from her friend Jon Lovitz taken when he was helping her run lines for her upcoming performance of Love Letters at the Kennedy Center with Martin Sheen.  

Peter James Smith posted a cute childhood photo of himself with some of his siblings. 

Rob Lowe posted a photo of his dog Daisy. 

Bird York posted a photo of herself with Dave Hodge. 

Donna Moss Daily: September 10 | September 11 | September 12 | September 13 | September 14 | September 15 | September 16 

Daily Josh Lyman: September 10 | September 11 | September 12 | September 13 | September 14 | September 15 | September 16 

No Context BWhit:  September 10 | September 11 | September 12 | September 13 | September 14 | September 15 |  September 15 (2) | September 16 

@twwarchive:  September 10 | September 11 | September 12 | September 13 | September 14 | September 15 | September 16 

@bestofcjtoby:  September 10 | September 11 | September 12 | September 13 | September 14 | September 15 | September 16 

Editors’ Choice: 

This week, we’re sharing some of our favorite stories that take us on an emotional roller coaster. Enjoy our recs for fics tagged “angst with a happy ending”! Be sure to share your favorites, too.

no one won the war by mmousik | Rated T | Leo McGarry & Toby Ziegler (No Pairings Listed) | Complete | “What happened?” “The war happened, Toby,” Leo said it like it were obvious, but Toby heard the blank, conceded tone as clear as day. “And serving my country was something every man did. It wasn't noble nor heroic to read from pages when there were people getting shot and crawling through dead bodies. I wanted to protect my county, not read about it. There was a time for reading and studying and writing, and it had long passed by the time I had enlisted myself.” Toby and Leo have an emotionally charged conversation about war.

i’ve got a blank space baby (and i’ll write your name) by sam_writes_fics for JessBakesCakes | Rated M | Josh Lyman/Donna Moss | Complete | No one knows how or why the marks started appearing – some say it’s a physiological phenomenon brought on by evolution, others say it’s divine intervention – but the world changed seemingly overnight into a place where the stars align for those brave enough to ask for it. // soulmate au

let my love fix you up (when you're coming undone) by JessBakesCakes for hufflepuffhermione | Rated T |  Josh Lyman/Donna Moss | Complete | The Gaza Arc reimagined: what if Sam flew to Germany to make sure his friends didn't miss their third chance?

hope is a dangerous thing for a woman like me to have- but I have it by IreneSpring | Rated T | C. J. Cregg/Kate Harper, Danny Concannon/C.J. Cregg | Complete | C.J. ends her relationship with Danny and begins a new life in California.

but i could only look down by smallandblueandloud | Rated G | C. J. Cregg/Toby Ziegler, C. J. Cregg/Andrea Wyatt/Toby Ziegler | Complete | “CJ,” he says, bracing himself for the big guns. “CJ, tell me you don’t love us and I’ll drop it. Tell me you left because you didn’t love us anymore, and I will walk out of this room and we can never speak of this again.” “Toby-” (or, it's been years since cj walked out on toby and andy, and he's ready to ask her to come back. things don't go to plan.)

Everything Else by piperset | Rated G | Danny Concannon/C.J. Cregg | Complete | The aftermath of "Institutional Memory."

It looks like we're stuck with tumblr's new post word limits for the foreseeable future, but stay tuned for our reblog with this week's fics and chapter updates!

[reasoningdaily]

GPB News: Civil rights groups condemn 'Soul Fest' concerts at Georgia park with giant Confederate carving

Civil rights groups are criticizing a concert series with Black performers dubbed "Soul Fest" that is being held at a Georgia park replete with Confederate imagery, including a giant carving of Confederate leaders.

Stone Mountain Park just outside Atlanta is where the Ku Klux Klan marked its rebirth in 1915. Its colossal, mountainside sculpture of Gen. Robert E. Lee, Confederate President Jefferson Davis and Gen. Thomas J. "Stonewall" Jackson is the largest Confederate monument ever crafted and has special protection enshrined in Georgia law.

The park has taken steps in recent years to try to soften its Confederate legacy and promote itself as a family site, but civil rights groups have said the moves fall way short of what's needed.

The "Soul Fest" concert series is a way to "normalize and sanitize" the hateful message of the park, said Atlanta NAACP President Richard Rose.

"They're saying, 'This is OK. Get used to it. It's cool,'" he said in a phone interview on Thursday.

Rose said he encouraged two of the bands to pull out of the event, but they told him they were under contract, and their music brings people together.

"The music can't bring people together in front of this icon of the Confederacy," he said.

Emails to the park and its management company, Thrive Attractions, were not immediately returned. In a news release earlier this month, the park promoted Soul Fest as a new event that would allow families to experience a "full day of fun." An ad for the event on the park's website featured a photo of a smiling Black man and Black woman on a lawn.

The event, which runs from Thursday night through Sunday night, features rhythm and blues groups, a gospel singer and a Prince cover band.

It's a "bad faith effort" to distance the park from the Confederacy, said Rivka Maizlish, a researcher with the Southern Poverty Law Center.

"It's an effort to pretend that the park is for everyone while still maintaining this massive symbol of white supremacy," she said. Some supporters of the carving say it is a tribute to their ancestors who fought in the Civil War, not a celebration of white power.

The park 15 miles (25 kilometers) northeast of downtown Atlanta attracts large numbers of tourists and other visitors interested in hiking to the top of the mountain, walking the grounds or seeing a light show. In 2021, the park's board voted to relocate Confederate flags from a busy walking trail and create a museum exhibit that relates the history of the site and the carving, which was completed in 1972 amid resistance to the civil rights movement and desegregation by Georgia and other Southern states.

The changes approved by the board came amid a national reckoning on race that brought down dozens of Confederate monuments in 2020.

The park, however, still maintains the giant carving, which measures 190 feet (58 meters) across and 90 feet (27 meters) tall. The Soul Fest concerts will take place on a lawn that faces the monument just months after a Confederate group gathered there.

"It's just so beyond obnoxious and disgusting and gross that they're hosting these artists now and trying to pull in a different audience," said Brian Morris, a member of the Stone Mountain Action Coalition, an advocacy group that has called on the park to stop maintaining the carving.

[jeusussavearmyveteran1205]

Tim Keller… a man of grace and truth.

 The Gospel Coalition Co-Founder died today at 72.