Baptist/Calvinism Debate - Live Video Streaming...

...scheduled to take place on October 16th. See HERE for details.

Kofi Annan

H/T Tundra Tabloids

Jihad is the Hump of Islam

H/T Sultan Knish

Sultanate of Oman on How Islam Spread

click HERE .

And just in case they decide to take the page down, here is the relevent portion :

"After God empowered Muslims to enter Mecca, Islam became the prevailing power and was spread by use of fear. This was particularly evident in the tribe of Quraysh, who had responded to the Prophet Muhammad’s new message of Islam with unrelenting persecution, eventually putting its resources in the service of the ever growing new religion. The Prophet then saw it preferable to contact neighbouring kings and rulers, including the two kings of Oman, Jaiffar and Abd, sons of Al Julanda, through peaceful means. History books tell us that the prophet had sent messages to the people of Oman, including a letter carried by military escort from Amr Inn Al Aas to Jaiffar and Abd, sons of Al Julanda, in which he wrote: ‘In the name of God the Merciful and the Compassionate, from Muhammad bin Abdullah to Jaiffar and Abd, sons of Al Julanda, peace be on those who choose the right path. Embrace Islam, and you shall be safe. I am God’s messenger to all humanity, here to alert all those alive that non believers are condemned. If you submit to Islam, you will remain kings, but if you abstain, your rule will be removed and my horses will enter your arena to prove my prophecy’. "

H/T Little Green Footballs

Reflections on the Papal controversy

The movie put out by Mel Gibson two and a half year ago stimulated a lot of interfaith heat. And now, we have another interfaith controversy with the Pope himself at it’s epicentre.

When it comes to Jesus and/or Christianity we seem to be going from one fitful controversy to another – a bit like the proverbial birth pangs.

The earlier cartoon controversy and now this present one suggests to me that the person of Muhammad and what Muslims have made of him might be the greatest barrier to the Gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ.

Let me explain why.

First, I find it highly significant that Muhammad has inserted himself directly into the Muslim creed which goes as follows: "There is no God but Allah and **Muhammad is his messenger**".

Second, the evidence from the Koran and the Hadith with respect to (among other things) the change in the direction of prayer from Jerusalem to Mecca and with respect to Allah's permission for Muhammad to have unlimited number of wives as against four for all other believers clearly indicates that Allah is very much a respecter of this person and even bends his own divine will to accommodate Muhammad's whims and wishes.

Therefore, wherever Islam becomes dominant via political, economic or military means it is not difficult to understand how the person of Muhammad then comes to function as an absolute show stopper on the preaching of the Gospel of the Son of God (Mark 1:1).

N.T. Wright has stated on a number of occasions in his writings that the gospel which the Apostle Paul preached was “Jesus is Lord and not Caesar”. Isn’t that partly or even greatly why early Christians suffered so much under Rome?

Similarly, the message that needs to go out now is “Jesus is Lord and not Muhammad”. What the Pope did was clumsily and indirectly hint at the second part of this message without addressing the first:”Jesus is indeed Lord”. We need both clauses.

We need both clauses but this is becoming ever more difficult to express.

In fact i had blogged about this very point back when the cartoon controversy was upon us.

In our day we have the force of secularism in the West which is allied with political correctness. Misguided notions of tolerance are having a stifling effect on the preaching of Christ.

Will it be a force as strong as Islam in this regard?

Probably not.

Yet, despite areas of incompatibility it is still possible that Western secularism and Islam will find in this, the stifling of Christian preaching, their common ground and become united in more vigorous enmity against Christianity.

Have we not all heard the saying : "Politics makes strange bedfellows" ? It is true. The danger is real but I hope this does not happen.

UPDATE : Get Religion assures us that the English translation of the German utterances of the Pope should have been rendered as "bad and inhumane" as opposed to "evil and inhuman" which casts a slightly different shadow.

Quote of the Day

"Anyone who describes Islam as a religion as intolerant encourages violence,"

says Pakistani Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Tasnim Aslam.

Philippians 4:5

"Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near"

A few days ago I prayed to the Lord to help me understand this verse:

Why should our gentleness be "evident to all”? And what is the connection between this and with the immediately following phrase “the Lord is near”?

Last night, I was watching and my wife was half-watching a dramatisation on BBC about some folk who happened to be have been in the Twin Towers during the attack. At one point there spoke a fireman (Capt. Jay Jonas - he tells his story on YouTube as well) who with a colleague had been helping a lady come down the stairway.

First, he revealed that he happened upon this lady just as she had been having difficulty walking down the stairs because of injury or smoke inhalation. This was just after the other building had collapsed. So the fireman knew he needed to get out of this one in a hurry. But when he was asked why he didn’t just pass her by and that nobody would know he said “I would know”.

So here is a man with a conscience.

Then he said that as they were slowly making their way down and as the stress levels grew and grew, he started speaking softer and softer. He said he consciously trained himself to do this because he said that at times like these you don’t want to add to the tension by screaming down at people – hence ”let your gentleness be evident to all”.

But what is the connection with “the Lord is near”?

Well, it may or may not be like when it was with the Twin Towers on September 11 but it is the testimony of the New Testament that the second coming of the Lord is going to be accompanied by very stressful times indeed referred to as “times of tribulation”. So it seems that, like this firemen, our comportment during times of “tribulation” must of one of “gentleness”. It may not be an automatic kind of gentleness but one which is maintained with conscious effort like the effort this fireman put into speaking softer and softer as the tension grew and grew.

But why gentleness?

I suppose one reason might be to help those around us who are also waiting for the coming of the Lord to endure the “tribulations”.

It’s also a fruit of the Spirit and a character trait of the Lord Jesus himself which was especially evident in his earthly ministry.

And I suppose we should be more like him generally but especially as we wait to greet His coming again.

Here is how William Hendriksen in his commentary on this verse puts it:

“ The idea seems to be : since Christ’s coming is near, when all the promises made to God’s people will become realities, believers, in spite of being persecuted, can certainly afford to be mild and charitable in their relation to others”.

By the way, this fireman, the lady and the other fireman who was helping the first carry the woman all came out of the building AFTER it had collapsed around them.

Maybe this true story is a good model of how Christians are to go through and finally emerge out of “tribulation”.

The Jerusalem Declaration on Christian Zionism

"We affirm that Palestinians are one people, both Muslim and Christian. We reject all attempts to subvert and fragment their unity."

This is a rather odd statement for the heads of Christian Churches to make. It's not a Christian statement but a patently nationalistic one that opposes any seperate discussions of rights for Christian Arabs ; essentially the heads of the top four Christian churches in Israel just signed away their own parishioners who are being persecuted by the Arab Muslim authorities. It's not a statement being made by the heads of Christian Churches but by prominent Arabs who prioritize Arab nationalism over Christianity.

Source : Sultan Knish

Did Israel give Lebanon full and fair warning of attacks ?

I keep a stack of old newsprint beside my bed to use to catch my whiskers when I trim my beard.

The other day, as I was tearing off the top few pages of newsprint for this purpose, I casually looked down and the article caught my eye. It happened to be the June 2nd edition of the Jewish Chronicle. The news report was written by Joseph Millis, Foreign Editor of the paper. It's on page 9 . As I quote from that article bear in mind that the Israeli onslaught on Lebanon did not happen until July 12th:

"Israel this week warned Lebanon that the country would pay a "heavy price" if it allowed Hezbollah to continue to operate from the south of the country. The warning-- issued by a top military commander -- came after Israel responded with air strikes to a Katyusha rocket attack across the border on Sunday. (...) One of the rockets hit an Israeli Air Force installation on Mount Meiron, near Safed. "We hope the message from our response [on Sunday] was understood correctly by the other side", Brigadier-General Gal Hirsch, the commander of the Galilee division, told reporters on Monday. (....) The fighting ended on Sunday afternoon after the Lebanese government requested via the UN a cease-fire with Israel. On Monday, senior officers revealed that prior to the Lebanese cease-fire request, Israel had threatened to bomb additional parts of Lebanon, including Beirut, and not just the southern part of the country controlled by Hezbollah. "We told them that we would expand our firing to other parts of the country", one senior officer told the Jerusalem Post. "they understood very well what we meant". Last Wednesday - the [sixth] anniversary [of Israel's withdrawal from Lebanon] - the pro-Syrian Lebanese President Emile Lahoud praised Hezbollah, saying it should "stay[ in place] until a just and comprehensive peace is achieved in the region". However, Lebanese Christian, Sunni Muslim and Druze groups were less enthusiastic about Hezbollah "Firing rockets from South Lebanon is a violation of Lebanese sovereignty," the anti-Syrian March 14 Forces executive committee said in a statement. "There is a serious security vacuum in the area due to the lack of the government's control." [The group's] leaders include include Sa'ad Hariri, the son of assassinated former Prime Minister Rafiq Hariri, and Walid Jumblatt, the Druze leader.

Animated H2O

Captured Hizbullah Fund Raising Leaflets

Click here for a translation of the its' contents.

Blundering Bush's Middle East Foreign Policy

Check out THIS essay for level headed sober analysis.

My Linguistic Profile Y'all

Your Linguistic Profile:

60% General American English

20% Yankee

15% Dixie

0% Midwestern

0% Upper Midwestern

What Kind of American English Do You Speak?

British Multiculturalism

"The British government needs to stop trying to engage with the “Muslim community” (which simply means those who claim to speak for it), and start trying to engage with the citizens themselves – regardless of their beliefs.

Because, in order for a country to be truly liberal, or even democratic, the general view must be that individuals are of equal worth and that we all share a common, basic human nature underneath the superficialities of culture and upbringing. We all share, to varying degrees, the same needs: food, water, shelter, human company, etc.

It’s this shared nature, the things we have in common, that provides the basis for society – uniting us around common goals and values.

Identity politics – defining individuals based on just one aspect of their personality – is short-sighted, divisive and (by promoting an Us and Them mentality) ultimately quite dangerous."

Source : An Insomniac

Build Me a Son

A poem by General Douglas A. MacArthur

Build me a son, O Lord, who will be strong enough to know when he is weak, and brave enough to face him self when he is afraid; one who will be proud and unbending in honest defeat, and humble and gentle in victory.

Build me a son whose wishbone will not be where his backbone should be;a son who will know Thee- and that to know himself is the foundation stone of knowledge.

Lead him, I pray, not in the path of ease and comfort, but under the stress and spur of difficulties and challenge. Here, let him learn to stand up in the storm; here, let him team compassion for those who fall.

Build me a son whose heart will be clear, whose goals will be high; a son who will master himself before he seeks to master other men; one who will learn to laugh, yet never forget how to weep; one who will reach into the future, yet never forget the past.

And after all these things are his, add, I pray, enough of a sense of humor, so that he may always be serious, yet never take himself too seriously.

Give him humility, so that he may always remember the simplicity of true greatness, the open mind of true wisdom, the meekness of true strength.

Then I, his father, will dare to whisper, "I have not lived in vain."

Loving Jesus

When a Christian dies we say “he/she has gone to be with Jesus” and it’s right that we do. But, do we really believe it? I mean we know it to be “theologically” true but is that sufficient?

There’s a song that is popular right now on the Christian radio station. I can’t remember the title but the chorus goes something like this: “Everybody wants to go to Heaven but nobody wants to die”.

Here is what a missionary to Russia reported in his newsletter last year :

“David’s PSA cancer reading has gone up to 33, so his GP has arranged an early appointment for him with the consultant, so that various treatment options can be discussed. Best of all, each day is one day nearer being with the Lord”.

Do we carry around with us that joyous anticipation of being with Jesus one day?

Just to show this isn’t some crackpot idea here is how the Apostle Paul puts it:

"If I am to live in the flesh, that means fruitful labor for me. Yet which I shall choose I cannot tell. I am hard pressed between the two. My desire is to depart and be with Christ, for that is far better." (Philippians 1:22-23)

Debate between Iraqi Arab Christian & Indian Muslim

Dr. Zakir Naik (Muslim) debates with Pastor Ruknuddin Henry Pio (Christian).

Biblical Treasures of Turkey Trailer

ABOUT THE FILM: A beautiful journey of discovery. The biblical events that took place in Asia, actually took place in what is now called Turkey! You will see the Roman World of St. Paul and St. John and the Byzantine Empire of the Greek Patriarchs. This film is an “eye opener” that will astound your audience. Robin D. Williams has traveled to Asia Minor for 30 years and this film is the result of his personal discoveries. Partial Scene List: Constantinople, Haghia Sophia, St. Chora, Topkapi Palace, The Golden Horn, The Dolmabache Palace, Sumela monastery, Tarsus, Antioch, Silifke, Side, Aspendus, Perge, Antalya, Ephesus, Urfa, Harran, Mardin Monastery, Diyarbakir, Nemrut Dagi, Lake Van, Ani of the Armenians. MT. ARARAT and the supposed site of Noah’s Ark. Walk the ancient highways with the Apostles. We hear the monks speaking the language of Jesus; Aramaic! We visit whole neighborhoods of Roman houses in Ephesus. Robin has brought the Romans to life! See the faces of the people who lived in the 1st Century A.D. See the ancient cities, caravan routes, ancient harbors and underground cities. The earliest Christian art in Haghia Sofya and St. Chora Church and the Rock Churches of Goreme Valley. The city of the first Ecumenical Council...NICEA! Enter the cave of St. Thecla. Marvel at the beautiful rivers, lakes, waterfalls and mountain scenery.

Leon Morris (March 15, 1914 - July 24, 2006)

Here is a quote from one of Morris's books : Glory in the Cross (p.89)

"The atonement is not ... a way of excusing men from the tremendous moral demands that God makes on them ... [it is] only in the light of the atonement that those moral demands can be seen in all their fulness and met even approximately. Only as we appreciate that Christ had to die to put away our sin can we see sin for the enormity it is. Only then can we understand that certain things are sins, and therefore only then can we really grasp the magnitude of the moral demands that God makes on us."

Mossad Interrogates Captured Hezbollah Kidnapper of Israeli Soldiers

Mujde FM in the Izmir Area

H/T to American Turk who has gently been pointing out my lack of postings recently.

Reason is simple : we have been away on a family holiday visiting my uncle (dayi) and yenge who live near Urla which is practically equidistant from Cesme on the Aegean coast to the West and the city of Izmir to the East.

I happened to turn on the radio in the bedroom of our holiday cottage to find Mujde FM.

Mujde FM broadcasts readings from the Turkish Bible, sermons in Turkish, as well as Bible readings and sermons in French, English and German.

I figured the station is located at 102 on the FM dial . This is confirmed by Mujde FM's own web site which gives the various FM stations over which it broadcasts throughout the country.

Give it a listen if you are in Turkey.

Hizbollah and Israel : Dateline 1996 Or is it 2006 ?

I just happened to stumble upon this eery piece of reporting .

You'll be doing a double take or two or three just to make sure they didn't get the date wrong on the report.

Only goes to show how "plus ca change plus c'est la meme chose" (the more things change the more they remain the same).

Aish is Having a Rant About Missionaries in NYC

Here is what they have to say :

"After filing the unwelcome gift in appropriate receptacles, many then telephoned Jewish organizations like Agudath Israel of America, and Jewish newspapers, to warn others about the high-tech wolf in sheep's clothing."

"the wolf in sheep's clothing" ?

Hmmm. Wonder who said that first ? (Hint : Matthew 7:15)

Love it.

Love you, Lord.

"For from him and through him and to him are all things. To him be the glory forever! Amen." (Romans 11:36)

Separated at Birth

Ray Porter, Director World Missions, Oak Hill CollegeWarren Buffett, Billionaire Philanthropist