Friday night, WBCQ 7490 faded out at quarter to nine, yet last night it was coming in clear as a bell after 11:00.
Last night my computer speakers were picking up an unidentified station in an unidentified language.
Picked up the BBC in Pashto and Voice of Russia in Spanish last night.
Monday, September 10, 2012
Wednesday, September 5, 2012
WINTLEY PHIPPS SERMON COMMENTARY
The following is based on a Wintley Phipps tape I found in a bag of cassettes someone gave me.
"... that carried a race of people through slavery."
Not thirty seconds later Phipps will say there's no such thing as race. Possibly he is doubleminded.
"The word race is not in the Bible."
Neither is the word cigarette but it's still wrong to smoke.
"This whole notion of race I believe is demonically inspired and man created."
Oh come on. Sure, the word race isn't in Scripture but it's obvious there are different "subdivisions of humanity" and different ethnic groups within those subdivisions.
"... but racism is the belief that within those differing subdivisions are varying intellectual capacities and abilities."
I don't know about intellectual ability so much, but it is obvious that different races and ethnic groups have different traits which are prominent and different things they excel at.
"Now, what you will hear is "When I Didn't Have Money To Pay The Rent Jesus Came Through On Time."
While God of course supplies the needs of all His children, maybe if some of those people in that black church hadn't spent their rent money on rims, keeping up with the bills wouldn't have been such a struggle.
"And one of the things we need to learn to do is to openly, wonderfully celebrate the differences.
Well, except for those horrible white people because they've caused all the problems in the world and don't have a culture or anything worth celebrating.
This basically sounds like the same politically correct thinking that only thinks of differences between peoples as things such as dress and food.
I would agree that we need to celebrate the differences in that we should acknowledge that different people groups have differing prominent traits and abilities, then figure out how those traits can best be used to benefit the church and society as a whole. Of course, all the time we need to keep in mind that there will always be those in a group that don't fit the stereotype.
The problem with our "equality" oriented thinking is that it assumes everyone is equally good at everything. This, by the way, is one of the fundamental problems with the public school system: it presupposes each student should do well in every subject. Then when the student shows they don't have the aptitude for a particular subject, the child is labelled as stupid or "learning disabled."
We all have different abilities and other characteristics on an individual level, so why shouldn't the same be true on a grand scale?
"One of my most favourite quotes in "The Spirit of Prophecy" says ..."
So this guy is talking about celebrating differences and yet he is a Seventh-day Adventist. Seventh-day Adventists don't so much like differences. They want everybody to be the same, eating the same, reading the same books, having the same careers, and studying the same religious materials at the same time. As much as many of them are good people, I choose to have an arms-length relationship with them because it seems as if they want their people to be too much the same.
This, by the way, is the problem with all denominations. The attitude persists that if someone were a true Christian, they would be doing the same thing as the rest of us are doing. However, with true Christianity, except for baptism for the remission of sins and communion, God leads each of us down a different path.
Ellen G. White, by the way, also said (plagiarized?) that certain "races" were the product of intercourse between humans and animals.
"... that carried a race of people through slavery."
Not thirty seconds later Phipps will say there's no such thing as race. Possibly he is doubleminded.
"The word race is not in the Bible."
Neither is the word cigarette but it's still wrong to smoke.
"This whole notion of race I believe is demonically inspired and man created."
Oh come on. Sure, the word race isn't in Scripture but it's obvious there are different "subdivisions of humanity" and different ethnic groups within those subdivisions.
"... but racism is the belief that within those differing subdivisions are varying intellectual capacities and abilities."
I don't know about intellectual ability so much, but it is obvious that different races and ethnic groups have different traits which are prominent and different things they excel at.
"Now, what you will hear is "When I Didn't Have Money To Pay The Rent Jesus Came Through On Time."
While God of course supplies the needs of all His children, maybe if some of those people in that black church hadn't spent their rent money on rims, keeping up with the bills wouldn't have been such a struggle.
"And one of the things we need to learn to do is to openly, wonderfully celebrate the differences.
Well, except for those horrible white people because they've caused all the problems in the world and don't have a culture or anything worth celebrating.
This basically sounds like the same politically correct thinking that only thinks of differences between peoples as things such as dress and food.
I would agree that we need to celebrate the differences in that we should acknowledge that different people groups have differing prominent traits and abilities, then figure out how those traits can best be used to benefit the church and society as a whole. Of course, all the time we need to keep in mind that there will always be those in a group that don't fit the stereotype.
The problem with our "equality" oriented thinking is that it assumes everyone is equally good at everything. This, by the way, is one of the fundamental problems with the public school system: it presupposes each student should do well in every subject. Then when the student shows they don't have the aptitude for a particular subject, the child is labelled as stupid or "learning disabled."
We all have different abilities and other characteristics on an individual level, so why shouldn't the same be true on a grand scale?
"One of my most favourite quotes in "The Spirit of Prophecy" says ..."
So this guy is talking about celebrating differences and yet he is a Seventh-day Adventist. Seventh-day Adventists don't so much like differences. They want everybody to be the same, eating the same, reading the same books, having the same careers, and studying the same religious materials at the same time. As much as many of them are good people, I choose to have an arms-length relationship with them because it seems as if they want their people to be too much the same.
This, by the way, is the problem with all denominations. The attitude persists that if someone were a true Christian, they would be doing the same thing as the rest of us are doing. However, with true Christianity, except for baptism for the remission of sins and communion, God leads each of us down a different path.
Ellen G. White, by the way, also said (plagiarized?) that certain "races" were the product of intercourse between humans and animals.
Thursday, August 30, 2012
THE MOON LANDING
John F. Kennedy promised that by the end of the sixties America would have a man on the moon. However, NASA quickly realized there was a belt of asteroids (known as the Van Allen Belt) on the way from the earth to the moon whose radiation would fry any man-powered spacecraft that tried to get through it. In fact, the Russians had tried to go to the moon but the cosmonauts had had to turn back because of the Van Allen Belt.
However, it was the height of the Cold War and going to the moon was important to the United States government because it would prove the Americans had greater power than the Russians. Also, the decade was fraught with protests, discontent, civil upheaval and the assasinations of a president, a presidential candidate and a civil rights leader, so something possitive was in order to bring a ray of sunshine into people's lives.
Thus, NASA decided to stage the moon landing, keeping the truth from as many people involved as was possible.
Golf clubs and a car were brought to the moon. Why didn't the astronauts bring a telescope? They could have seen farther into the universe than anyone before.
How did they fit that car/dune buggy-looking thing into that tiny spacecraft in the first place?
If the gravity on the moon is one sixth as strong as on Earth, then the crew of Apollo 11 should have been able to jump much higher than they did.
How is it that the whole mission was conducted using less computer power than a Wal-Mart watch, yet the spaceship managed to hit the moon accurately the first time a feat like this was ever attempted?
Why haven't the Americans been back to the moon in the last forty years? Why has no other nation gone there?
Why did they not go back and set up a military base up there? The Cold War would have been ended twenty years sooner.
However, it was the height of the Cold War and going to the moon was important to the United States government because it would prove the Americans had greater power than the Russians. Also, the decade was fraught with protests, discontent, civil upheaval and the assasinations of a president, a presidential candidate and a civil rights leader, so something possitive was in order to bring a ray of sunshine into people's lives.
Thus, NASA decided to stage the moon landing, keeping the truth from as many people involved as was possible.
Golf clubs and a car were brought to the moon. Why didn't the astronauts bring a telescope? They could have seen farther into the universe than anyone before.
How did they fit that car/dune buggy-looking thing into that tiny spacecraft in the first place?
If the gravity on the moon is one sixth as strong as on Earth, then the crew of Apollo 11 should have been able to jump much higher than they did.
How is it that the whole mission was conducted using less computer power than a Wal-Mart watch, yet the spaceship managed to hit the moon accurately the first time a feat like this was ever attempted?
Why haven't the Americans been back to the moon in the last forty years? Why has no other nation gone there?
Why did they not go back and set up a military base up there? The Cold War would have been ended twenty years sooner.
THE INFIDEL AND THE TEN COMMANDMENTS
James says that if we break one of God's laws, it is as though we had broken them all. This is because there are no levels of sin with God. It isn't like in the Catholic church with mortal and venial sins.
However, let's look at this principle of breaking the whole law by breaking one law deeper.
If we break one of God's commandments, we are saying we know better than God and are thus putting ourselves before God.
By making ourselves God, we further break the second commandment.
By claiming to be Christians but not doing what he commanded, we have taken the Lord's name upon ourselves in vain, thus breaking the third commandment.
How can we say we are resting in Christ while living in rebellion against Him? Thus we have broken the fourth commandment.
We may not be dishonouring our physical mother and father by breaking one of God's commandments, but we are certainly dishonouring our Heavenly Father, thus breaking the fifth commandment.
By continually choosing to do something that is opposed to God's law, we are rejecting Him and guaranteeing ourselves a place in Hell. Knowingly breaking whatever commandment we are breaking, we are choosing death, thus committing spiritual suicide. Suicide is self-murder, so we are breaking the sixth commandment.
We may not physically be committing adultery, but by calling Jesus "Lord" and not doing what he says, we are committing spiritual adultery, thus breaking the seventh commandment.
By calling Jesus our Lord and Saviour and living in opposition to Him, we are trying to take a place in His kingdom which doesn't belong to us, thus breaking the eighth commandment.
While in the physical the ninth commandment is about purgery and not simply lying as many people believe, by saying we are one of God's children and yet living contrary to His Word, we are baring false witness against ourselves.
We've already seen how we're trying to steal the kingdom for ourselves, so before we stole it, we must have had the desire to try to take it by improper means, thus breaking the tenth commandment.
However, let's look at this principle of breaking the whole law by breaking one law deeper.
If we break one of God's commandments, we are saying we know better than God and are thus putting ourselves before God.
By making ourselves God, we further break the second commandment.
By claiming to be Christians but not doing what he commanded, we have taken the Lord's name upon ourselves in vain, thus breaking the third commandment.
How can we say we are resting in Christ while living in rebellion against Him? Thus we have broken the fourth commandment.
We may not be dishonouring our physical mother and father by breaking one of God's commandments, but we are certainly dishonouring our Heavenly Father, thus breaking the fifth commandment.
By continually choosing to do something that is opposed to God's law, we are rejecting Him and guaranteeing ourselves a place in Hell. Knowingly breaking whatever commandment we are breaking, we are choosing death, thus committing spiritual suicide. Suicide is self-murder, so we are breaking the sixth commandment.
We may not physically be committing adultery, but by calling Jesus "Lord" and not doing what he says, we are committing spiritual adultery, thus breaking the seventh commandment.
By calling Jesus our Lord and Saviour and living in opposition to Him, we are trying to take a place in His kingdom which doesn't belong to us, thus breaking the eighth commandment.
While in the physical the ninth commandment is about purgery and not simply lying as many people believe, by saying we are one of God's children and yet living contrary to His Word, we are baring false witness against ourselves.
We've already seen how we're trying to steal the kingdom for ourselves, so before we stole it, we must have had the desire to try to take it by improper means, thus breaking the tenth commandment.
REPLY AWL
The July 23 issue of Maclean's has an article entitled "The Secret Life of Plants", which reveals that plants can communicate with each other and feel, among other things. Further testament to how astonishing our Creator is.
The July issue of Chatalaine contains an article on abortion. It is written by a woman who found out her baby would have severe health problems if it survived to term and would have to live in pain it's whole life. For this reason, the author decided to abort. No mention of praying for the baby's healing.
I like the format for the recordings of the "Daily Bread" and "Encounter With God" devotionals CBM records. It's a good idea to insert the passages from Scripture right in the entries and to leave out the book and chapter headings since we already know which chapter and book we're reading.
The July issue of Chatalaine contains an article on abortion. It is written by a woman who found out her baby would have severe health problems if it survived to term and would have to live in pain it's whole life. For this reason, the author decided to abort. No mention of praying for the baby's healing.
I like the format for the recordings of the "Daily Bread" and "Encounter With God" devotionals CBM records. It's a good idea to insert the passages from Scripture right in the entries and to leave out the book and chapter headings since we already know which chapter and book we're reading.
Monday, August 27, 2012
THE EPISTLE OF 1 JOHN
Chapter 1: In context, the verse about God being faithful and just to forgive us our sins is talking about when we as Christians sin.
Chapter 2: The word "world" is translated from the Greek word "cosmos" which means world order or world system. It means the way most of the people in the world think and act.
Chapter 4: We should not only not accept any one who comes to us who denies that Jesus was fully God and fully man, but anyone who denies Jesus was the Christ or Messiah. We should also not accept groups into Christianity who preach a different Jesus other than the one the Bible declares, such as the Mormons, who say Jesus was the literal reincarnation of Adam, or the Jehova's Witnesses who say Lucifer was Jesus' brother.
Chapter 2: The word "world" is translated from the Greek word "cosmos" which means world order or world system. It means the way most of the people in the world think and act.
Chapter 4: We should not only not accept any one who comes to us who denies that Jesus was fully God and fully man, but anyone who denies Jesus was the Christ or Messiah. We should also not accept groups into Christianity who preach a different Jesus other than the one the Bible declares, such as the Mormons, who say Jesus was the literal reincarnation of Adam, or the Jehova's Witnesses who say Lucifer was Jesus' brother.
Saturday, August 25, 2012
NIEL ARMSTRONG DEAD AT 82
He knew he never went to the moon. He knew the truth that the Van Allen Belt would destroy any man-powered spacecraft that tried to go through it, yet he played along and suppressed the truth anyway.
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